Officials from 44 US states have written jointly to Facebook urging it to abandon plans to launch a kids version of Instagram, raising concerns about privacy, bullying and mental health problems linked to social media. “There are myriad other – and safer – ways for young children to connect with family and friends,” the letter says. Facebook has faced pressure over its plans to build a version of the popular photo-sharing app for primary-schoolers since it revealed the plan in March. Kids under 13yo are currently prohibited from signing up, but many do it anyway by lying about their age. A Facebook spokesperson said the company wants to “give parents visibility and control over what their kids are doing”, as it has with its Messenger app for kids. The tech giant said it will work with regulators and lawmakers on the Instagram plan but hasn’t said when it will launch the service.