Ensuring Age-Appropriate Experiences: Meta Expands Instagram Age Verification Test
In an effort to provide safer and age-appropriate experiences for its users, Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has expanded its age verification test to more countries. The test requires users who attempt to change their date of birth from under 18 to 18 or over to verify their age through uploading their ID, recording a video selfie, or asking mutual friends to verify their age.
With the expansion of the age verification test in six more countries, including Europe and Canada, Meta aims to ensure that teens and adults are in the right experience for their age group. The company plans to make the age verification tools available in more countries worldwide within the next few months.
Instagram’s minimum age requirement is 13 years old in most countries, but it is higher in some. When Meta knows if someone is a teen (13-17), it provides them with age-appropriate experiences like defaulting them into private accounts, preventing unwanted contact from adults they don’t know, and limiting the options advertisers have to reach them with ads.
Meta’s expansion of the age verification test on Instagram is a welcome move, especially for parents who are concerned about their children’s exposure to inappropriate content. With the age verification test, young users can enjoy a safer and more age-appropriate experience on Instagram.
