Product Hunt Daily - Instagram on pause

“We believe building ‘Instagram Kids’ is the right thing to do, but we're pausing the work,” Adam Mosseri announced on Instagram’s blog.

According to Instagram, it wanted to give parents an app designed for children with features to help adults supervise and control their experience. The makers stopped their work though after severe backlash caused by media articles citing Facebook’s own research on how social media impacts the mental health of children, in particular teen girls.

“To be clear, I don’t agree with how the [Wall Street] Journal has reported on our research,” (links added by us) Mosseri wrote, standing firmly behind its belief that the project will have value for families.

Instagram is definitely right about one thing (which is one of the reasons they started working on the app) — children are getting their phones at a much earlier age than ever before.

So whether you’re glad Facebook is taking this time to “work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns,” or disappointed you won’t see “Instagram Kids” anytime soon, we put together a list for you.

Here are 8 tech launches from the last year that are poised to have a positive effect on your child, while still being social and fun.

Primer Rooms - Live, interactive experiences where kids explore interests and solve problems together

Imagi - An app that turns learning how to code into a fun, creative, and social experience

TeenUp - A platform where kids learn new skills (like playing the guitar) from their peers

Whole - A colorful app to build a routine of positive habits and increase happiness

KidHab - An alternative to the above, with a gamified parent-child system for building habits

Kalam Labs - A live game streaming platform for kids to learn their favorite science topics

LoveBox - A device that delivers fun messages to loved ones from a distance

OK Play - In-app activities and real-world play that builds empathy and kindness in pre-schoolers

Or see what else is new for kids...