In a push for teen safety, Instagram now requires age verification and will block sensitive content for minors.
When users open Instagram for the first time, the app will prompt them for their birthdate information.
Instagram has announced that it would begin asking users for their birthdate information. These reminders may be ignored at first, but the social media giant appears to be making it mandatory to use Instagram in the future. These suggestions aim to figure out how old everyone on Instagram is so that stuff that isn’t appropriate for young people doesn’t end up on their page. Instagram claims that this data is required for new capabilities the company is developing to safeguard children and teenagers.
Instagram said in a new blog post that it would begin asking users for their birthdate when they launch the app. This is just for individuals who haven’t already provided their date of birth information. Instagram will display a message at the top of these users’ feeds a few times, and if they haven’t given their birthdate data by a certain point, they will be required to do so to continue using the app, according to the company.
Additionally, if users see caution messages on their postings, Instagram will ask for their birthday before revealing the content. Previously, viewers could simply click the ‘See Video’ or ‘See Image’ button at the bottom of the warning to view the concealed material. All users who haven’t disclosed their birthdate in the past will now get a ‘Confirm Your Age’ option instead. These screens aren’t brand new; Instagram uses them on postings that are potentially sensitive or explicit. This new workaround aims to restrict access to specific types of material based on the user’s age.
Instagram is also working on estimating a person’s age using artificial intelligence that takes into account variables such as “Happy Birthday” postings. This new approach will identify users who have entered an incorrect birthday and provide them with alternatives to verify their correct age. According to Instagram, this project is still in its early phases, and it will be launch at a later date.
All of these safeguards are being implemented to make Instagram a safer place for children. Instagram aims to deliver the correct experiences to the proper age group while also blocking some types of material from reaching young people. Instagram recently implemented new features in which it defaulted new accounts belonging to minors under the age of 16 to private mode and also prohibited adults from sending messages to people under the age of 18 who do not follow them.
