Instagram has started forcing users to enter their date of birth before being allow to use the app. This change comes over eight months after Instagram announce its plans to make age verification mandatory on its platform and start prompting users to fill in their birthday details.
The prime purpose of the update is to restrict access for kids below the age of 13.
Instagram will also be able to use the given date of birth to offer better target ads to users.
Instagram is showing a screen before allowing access to its content.
As it asks users to enter their date of birth and has no option to bypass.
Screen Prompt :
“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.”
Many users who have not yet provide their date of birth on Instagram have start receiving the new prompt.
A number of them have taken to Twitter and complain about Instagram’s move to forcefully ask for their birth date.
Instagram initially start asking for age verification as an optional feature in 2019.
Instagram last year made it mandatory to provide date of birth details and announce the roll out of prompts to let users fill in the information in the midst of looking at the photos and videos in their feed or uploading a new content for their followers.
The Instagram app was accessible to users who did not provide their details and skip the earlier prompts.
Meta has not yet completely scrap its plans for developing Instagram for Kids as it was urged to do so by various religious leaders in February.
The plan with restricting access for kids through the latest development could eventually help Instagram to redirect its young audience to the new app that we may see in the coming future.
Meta would also be able to generate more revenue by serving target ads after getting the date of birth of its users.
