Instagram will require users to declare their birthday, thus promoting the safety of teenagers. Young people will not be able to see "sensitive" content.
The Instagram will require users to declare their birthday, an update that the company says is intended to protect young people using its application.
The photo app already requires new users to state their date of birth upon registration, a requirement valid from the end of 2019. However, people who have registered in the past may not have shared the relevant information.
In the coming weeks, Instagram will start urging users who have not declared a date of birth to do so. While they may initially reject the prompts, the app will eventually require everyone a birthday.
There are currently two scenarios in which users will be asked about their birthday. First, the application will "sometimes" display a notification. A separate prompt may also appear if users try to see a post hidden behind a warning screen.
These warnings appear in “sensitive content”Which may not violate official Instagram rules, but could be considered marginal, such as“ suggestive ”images or photos of medical procedures. Users will no longer be able to view these posts until they give a birthday, and younger ages may not even be able to see these posts.
The company also states that will use artificial intelligence to identify when a user may have given a fake birthday and that some users may be asked to "verify" their age. "In the future, if someone tells us they are over a certain age and technology tells us otherwise, we will show them a menu of options to verify their age," the company said. "This work is still in its infancy."
These changes are the latest as Instagram seeks to enhance security and privacy for its younger users. The company has also said it will convert to the private accounts of young teens by default and will have limited ability for advertisers to target these accounts.
It recently introduced features to prevent adult strangers from texting teens. Instagram also said it was in the early stages of thinking about releasing its service to users under the age of 13, which has caused concern among lawmakers.
