Social media can be a dangerous place for many people, specifically for children. Kids online are exposed to many things that may not be appropriate for their age, be it violent news, cyberbullying, to sexual content and harassment. However, Instagram is taking the necessary measures to stopping this by asking all Instagram users to confirm their birthdays. This new measure will help create strict guidelines, and create a separation between adults and children.
Instagram is toying with the idea of creating a version of Instagram for kids under the age of 13, due to the inability of keeping children on the platform safe. In the meantime however, Instagram will be requesting its users to enter their birthdates, and announced last July that any user under the age of 16 will not be able to make their account public, and Instagram have also prevented adults from being able to send messages to users under the age of 18 if they’re not following them.
People who did not add their birthdates into the platform once their accounts were created will receive many pop-ups in order to do so. In addition, they will also be asked to add their birthdates when trying to view restricted content, such as sensitive or graphic content. If they still ignore adding their birthdates, they will not be able to use the application. Instagram is aware of some people adding fake birthdates, and have been working on new technology and updates that would detect users with falsified birthdates.
Instagram’s official statement
The recent update by Instagram aims to personalize each user’s experience according to their age group. Additionally, it would also show relevant ads on the application. “This work is still in the early stages, and we look forward to sharing more soon,” Instagram stated.