In 2018, Facebook embarked on an ambitious plan to capture the attention of a younger audience with a proposed app named Bell, aimed specifically at high school students. According to a recent court filing, this initiative was envisioned as a digital haven for teens, allowing them to engage in discussions about school events, sports teams, and the latest gossip circulating in the hallways. The concept was to create a safe space where students could communicate exclusively with their classmates, fostering a sense of community within their schools.
Strategic Vision for Youth Engagement
The internal documents reveal that Facebook intended for Bell to become a pivotal platform for high school students across the United States, and eventually, the globe. The overarching strategy was to immerse teens in Facebook’s ecosystem, seamlessly transitioning them to the main platform upon graduation. An internal presentation from April 2018 emphasized the significance of high school communication, stating, “High School communication is important to teens and important for us to win.”
Despite the innovative vision, the Bell app never came to fruition. A spokesperson for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, described the app as an early exploratory idea that would have relied on robust content moderation. However, the spokesperson did not provide clarity on the reasons behind the app’s cancellation. This information emerged amid a broader legal context, where Meta and other major social media companies face allegations from numerous families, school districts, and state attorneys general. These plaintiffs accuse the companies of creating addictive products targeted at minors, despite awareness of potential mental health risks.
Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, commented on the ongoing trials, suggesting they reveal a troubling reality about the social media landscape. “The social media addiction trials are providing a look behind the curtain and are proving that the status quo was even worse than we imagined,” she stated, advocating for increased protections for children in the digital space.
Meta has consistently defended its practices, asserting that there is no definitive evidence linking social media use to mental health issues. The company maintains that it has made significant efforts to understand and address the concerns of parents and experts alike. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently argued in court that users remain engaged with the platform because it facilitates meaningful communication with peers. The company has also implemented enhanced age detection systems to prevent children under 13 from accessing its platforms.
In its ongoing efforts to cater to younger audiences, Meta has introduced features in its new Teen Accounts designed to empower parents with greater control over their children’s social media interactions. These features encourage young users to take breaks and manage notifications, reflecting a commitment to promoting healthier usage patterns.
Over the past decade, Meta has explored various initiatives aimed at younger demographics, including a paused plan to develop a version of Instagram for children under 13 in 2021, following backlash from parent advocacy groups. Additionally, a proposed child-friendly version of Facebook was shelved in 2017 after receiving negative feedback from parents.
Features and Aspirations of the Bell App
The Bell app’s design showcased a range of features that would have allowed students to connect with peers, organize events, and create group chats similar to popular platforms like Discord and Slack. The app also included a unique anonymous confessions section, reminiscent of the app YikYak, and was intended to integrate with educational tools such as Google Classroom.
According to the internal presentation, Bell was projected to provide a “smooth on-ramp” for students transitioning to Facebook after graduation, with collected data influencing their future feeds. Surveys conducted among high school students highlighted their desire for a social media app that enabled communication with classmates, access to student-generated videos and memes, and a way to stay informed about school happenings. While some of these interactions already occurred on Facebook Groups and Messenger, the company identified an opportunity to consolidate these experiences into a single app that would unite students within a “closed campus” environment.
Facebook aimed for Bell to penetrate 80% of U.S. high schools by the end of 2020, with aspirations to extend its reach to Australia, Canada, and various European nations. However, recent legislative actions, such as Australia’s ban on social media use for children under 16, may influence the future landscape of youth engagement in digital platforms.
