Instagram Adds Age Checks To Block Underage Use

Instagram on Wednesday announced a new process that will ask all new users their date of birth in a bid to block underage users from signing up for the popular photo-sharing service.

As part of a continued effort to build a safer experience for the youngest members of the community, the Facebook-owned social network will have new users verify that they are at least 13 years old to register for a new account.

“Asking for this information will help prevent underage people from joining Instagram, help us keep young people safer and enable more age-appropriate experiences overall,” an Instagram blog said.

The company said the age information would not be visible to others, rather be used to recommend younger people opt for more privacy settings, such as allowing new message requests only from people they follow on the platform which has over a billion users.

The basic step of asking people to enter their birth date comes after nearly a decade of its launch. Earlier, users didn’t have to provide their exact birthday; they had to merely confirm they were ages 13 or above while signing up.

Starting today, we’ll ask for your birthdate when creating an account, and in the coming weeks, we'll give you more control over who can message you.

This will help us keep young people safer and enable more age-appropriate experiences. Learn more: https://t.co/j7HuSB9Mng pic.twitter.com/8k1cejWal5

— Instagram (@instagram) December 4, 2019