According to the latest reports, Instagram recently announced changes aimed at protecting the safety of young users, but these features depend on the understanding of the user’s age. To this end, Instagram stated that it has begun asking users to provide their date of birth, assuming that users have not provided this information. In addition, the company said that by providing this information, it can also provide users with a personalized experience.
A few years ago, Instagram first started asking users for their birth dates – and according to the company, it already has detailed information about most users. However, for those users who have not confirmed their age to Instagram, they will see a new prompt when they open the app, asking them to add their date of birth.
The prompt includes a link to learn more about why Instagram wants this information, and the option to avoid providing that detail by clicking Not Now. This moderation will only be provided within a short period of time; if users decline the prompt multiple times, Instagram says they will eventually be asked to provide information to continue using the app.
In addition, Instagram will require users to share their date of birth information before they can view posts hidden by the warning screen. This also applies to users who have not yet shared their date of birth with Instagram. The company admitted that some users may provide a fake birth date to bypass age-based restrictions.
The company said it is using artificial intelligence to determine whether users are likely to be different from the age they provide. If artificial intelligence finds a potential problem with a user’s date of birth, Instagram says that the user will have various options to confirm their date of birth. This artificial intelligence-driven age verification function is currently listed as an early stage.
