Instagram forcing users to enter their birth date to continue using the app

Instagram is now forcing all users globally to enter their date of birth to be able to use the platform seamlessly. Last year, the Meta-owned photo sharing app announced that it will soon make age verification mandatory on the platform. The aim is primarily to restrict access for kids below the age of 13 from using the app.

The photo sharing app is prompting users to fill in their birth date details immediately. The prompt appears on opening the application. It reads, "Before you can continue using Instagram, you need to provide your birthday, even if this account is for something like a business or pet." "This helps us protect younger people in our community. We'll also use your birthday to help personalise your experience, including ads. It won't be part of your public profile," the screen prompt further adds. The initiative will not only restrict users under the age of 13 but also offer better targeted ads and enhance the overall experience as well.

No bypassing

Instagram also tells users that it is a mandatory process and they do not have an option to bypass it. But in case some users try to bypass the restriction by providing fake birth details, Instagram has an artificial intelligence (AI) backed system that helps detect the accurate age of its users.

"We look at things like people wishing you a happy birthday and the age written in those messages, for example, 'Happy 21st Bday!' or 'Happy Quinceañera.' We also look at the age you shared with us on Facebook and apply it to our other apps where you have linked your accounts and vice versa — so if you share your birthday with us on Facebook, we'll use the same for your linked account on Instagram," the company noted in one of its press note explaining its birthday detection technology.

Instagram started asking for age verification as an optional feature back in 2019. Last year, it made it mandatory for users to provide date of birth details. Until now, Instagram allowed users to access the platform even after skipping previous prompts. But, adding a date of birth is mandatory now.

Instagram Kids details

Last year, Meta was found working on a kids-focussed version of Instagram dubbed Instagram Kids. But the company faced strong criticism from government bodies for increasing Instagram's use among kids. Advocacy groups and authorities including the US State Attorneys General urged Meta to drop the plan. The company, since then, paused the development of the Kids app but hasn't really scrapped the plan yet.

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