That Digital Dad's 2021 Recap
Issue #39
Revisiting my biggest takeaways affecting digital parents in 2021
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had some time to relax and connect with family and friends—either in person or digitally. I want to take a moment to wish you and yours the happiest and healthiest year ahead. And as we ring in 2022, it’s nice to take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months.
It was certainly an extraordinary year, especially for parents and families. And, a lot happened in the tech world—including big scandals, major announcements and a growing skepticism about the way some platforms operate.
Throughout the year, I wrote broadly about tech and its impact on us as a society. As a father of two, I have a particular interest in the things that affect us most as digital moms and dads. The social validation that we crave on platforms like Facebook and Instagram was the subject of my book, Screen Captured, which I released in 2019. So, while I wasn’t surprised when Facebook announced plans for Instagram for Kids, I’ve literally been writing for years about why I think it is a terrible idea.
In 2021, I was fortunate enough to be featured in a book teaching best practices when designing digital products targeted to children. I was also featured in many leading publications including The Telegraph and TechCrunch. But, I’m most proud of this very newsletter which I immensely enjoy sharing with all of you.
Below is a recap of the events of particular interest that I covered in the That Digital Dad newsletter throughout 2021. Enjoy!
Tech’s role in the January 6th insurrection
Less than a week into 2021, we watched a frightening and surreal event unfold at the Capitol. The insurrection on January 6th was stunning for so many reasons—but I’m especially interested in how it set the stage for a conversation about the way social media can fuel extremism when algorithms prioritize engagement over all else. At the time, Sheryl Sandberg claimed that Facebook wasn’t responsible for providing a platform to those involved in planning the insurrection, and she pointed the finger at other platforms. When I covered the events in my newsletter, I expressed my hope that we’d all begin to demand more accountability from tech companies. We still have a ways to go, but I do believe that the insurrection helped create momentum for the inquiries, investigations and shifting public sentiment we saw throughout the year.
The most urgent issue in kidtech
At the beginning of February, I was featured in a new book published by Rubens Cantuni, "Designing Digital Products for Kids: Deliver User Experiences that Delight Kids, Parents and Teachers.” He asked me what I thought the most urgent issue was in kids’ technology, and here’s a selection of what I told him:
...the most urgent issue is that digital products for kids need to be designed from the group up around children's privacy and safety. It’s so important that we don’t just retrofit adult platforms with a few parental controls and call it a day. (I’m looking at you, Instagram!) The reason for this is that adult platforms, especially social ones, are built to optimize two things: growth and engagement—and that kind of design is just not appropriate or ethical for kids.
Social validation has no place in kids’ apps
In March, I dug a little deeper into social validation and how it affects kids. I talked about PopJam and the fact that social media uses persuasive design and tactics to mine our attention. When apps are designed this way, we end up placing outsized importance on things like “Likes,” “Followers” and “Streaks.” This creates false urgency and competition between users and that’s what I worry about more than anything—especially in the context of rising depression, anxiety and suicide rates among youth in recent years. This is enough of a problem in apps that target adults, but I found it extremely alarming to see the same mechanisms in an app targeted at kids. This proved to just be a foreshadowing of the ultimate vanity platform, Instagram, putting its eyes squarely on children.
Why Instagram for Kids is a terrible idea
I’m on the record saying that social validation isn’t right for kids. And that adult platforms don’t retrofit well for children. So just imagine my alarm when Instagram announced its intention to retrofit the app for children. Yikes! While the popular assumption was that Facebook (now known as Meta) wanted to "hook 'em young," I suggested that that there was a bit more to it. Facebook is probably keen to train the next generation of users, but I think the expansion was fundamentally fuelled by their insatiable thirst for user engagement. If Instagram for Kids functioned the same way as their Messenger Kids platform, each mini-account would need to be tied to an active adult account. So, if your kids want to be on these platforms, you have to stick around as well. You'll need to engage. And it’s clear by now that Facebook/Meta will go to almost any length for engagement.
Facebook/Meta doubles down IG for Kids
Criticism was swift and decisive: people were pretty much universally horrified by the idea of an Instagram platform for children and Facebook/Meta had to justify itself. They used a predictable explanation: kids are flocking to the adult platform anyways, so it's logical to develop a parallel platform with similar functionality and augmented parental controls. On the surface, it even seems like a compelling case. But at its core, it's a flawed argument. I said as much in an interview with The Telegraphs's James Titcomb, who was writing an article on the subject.
Among other things, I said:
These social media platforms have a time and a place—but at the end of the day, they’re designed to keep us scrolling, extract our data and show us targeted ads. We might be getting something out of the bargain, but as adults, we can weigh the pros and cons and decide for ourselves. Kids, however, deserve to be protected, not exploited.
Internal Facebook/Meta research revealed by whistleblower
By September, we learned that Facebook/Meta had its own internal research on the effects of Instagram on teens. And in fact, the internal research told a very different story than what the company had been claiming publicly. Many of us suspected all along that Instagram could be a toxic environment for teens, and according to documents leaked by Frances Haugen, the company knew it too. In this newsletter, I wrote:
Instagram is the poster child of striving for perfection. I’ve written before that social validation is the number one thing I worry about as a parent, especially in the context of rising depression and anxiety rates among youth.
This renewed calls for Facebook/Meta to kill the new kids’ platform and the company pushed pause on the product for the time being.
So, what does healthy tech for kids even look like?
In a year dominated by news (and scandals) from Facebook/Meta, it’s only natural to feel a little jaded about technology. You might have started to wonder: what does healthy tech even look like for kids? I know it exists, and in October, I wrote about what it takes to design something positive for our families.
A highlight:
There are features, design decisions and business models that make tech healthier for younger users. We just have to be willing to put our users’ wellbeing above viral growth.
We can't let our bottom line be the sole consideration in how we build things. You need to design things to serve kids’ best interests.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, has his day in Congress
At the beginning of this month, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri finally appeared before congress to answer questions about the way his platform affects children. Not surprisingly, Mosseri doubled down on the old justification multiple times during the hearing. Kids are using Instagram already, so let’s just create a dedicated platform for them.
An excerpt from my newsletter covering his day in Congress:
I am optimistic that kids’ online safety is finally a topic of discussion. At the very least, we can all acknowledge the need for a solution, and that’s something. At one point, when referencing children ages 10–12, Mosseri admitted that “Instagram, quite frankly, wasn’t designed for them.” And even though that age bracket is already using technology, a Facebook-owned platform with a few extra parental controls is not the right solution.
For the most part, critics still aren’t buying Mosseri's arguments. However, all indications are that the company will eventually build Instagram for Kids.
A wish for the year ahead
In my first newsletter of 2021, I expressed hope. I wondered out loud whether the insurrection on January 6th would lead us to demand more accountability from tech companies. Throughout the months that followed, we certainly saw more scrutiny than ever before. We didn’t solve the problems we’re facing—but we paid a lot more attention. Big Tech is on notice in a way they haven’t been in the past. Another sign of hope? Some companies are suddenly trying to protect kids online—and that’s due in large part to new regulations from the UK that compel companies to design technology in the best interest of kids. We still have a long way to go to make technology better and healthier for our children—but at the very least, more people are looking at these issues more than ever before. My wish for the new year is that we keep pushing for the changes we want to see.
A Deeper Dive
Here are a few helpful resources in case you want to really dig into today's topic:
If you're interested in learning more about what goes into high-quality and ethical app design for children, you can find Rubens Cantuni’s book here. He includes the perspectives of many tech experts, so it’s full of valuable insights.
You can find James Titcomb’s article on Instagram for Kids featuring my initial thoughts on the platform here in the Telegraph.
If you’d like to find my argument for why Instagram for Kids should be cancelled—not paused—you can check out my article on the subject in TechCrunch.
TL;DR
Too long; didn't read. It shouldn't be a full-time job to keep up on industry news, so here is a mercifully quick summary of some other notable developments:
I’m not sure we needed a poll to prove this, but a new survey suggests that Americans widely distrust Facebook, TikTok and Instagram with their data. Perhaps this is more evidence that the tide is shifting towards holding Big Tech platforms accountable.
Remember when I wrote about Clubhouse? Back when the audio-only social platform first launched, it had a huge moment—mostly fuelled by FOMO. I suspected at the time that it might be tech’s next cautionary tale: too much hype, not enough substance or strategy. And it looks like that might have been the case. Just as predicted, other companies quickly followed up with their own audio platforms, creating a ton of competition for Clubhouse.
And Lastly
Here are a few more pieces of original writing from me and my team—just in case you're keen for more:
Winter is here, and parents in colder climates know just how tricky it can be to keep kids occupied during shorter, frostier days. My team put together a list of fun activities you can try out this season. A favorite in our family? Blanket forts!
And, if you’re planning on video calling far-away loved ones this season, here are a few ideas for making those moments really count!
Okay, that's it from me until next time. Wishing you and yours all the best in 2022. Here’s to a happy and healthy new year!