Instagram is testing two additional alternatives for users to verify their age on the platform.
If someone tries to change their Instagram date of birth from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, the app will now demand them to verify their age by uploading their ID, recording a video selfie, or asking mutual friends to verify their age.
In the first method, social vouching, you will be required to ask mutual followers to confirm your age. The individual vouching must be at least 18 years old, must not be vouching for anybody else at that time and will need to meet other precautions that Instagram will have in place. The three persons you designate to vouch for you will receive a request to confirm your age and will need to respond within three days.
In the AI estimation approach users will record a selfie that will then be sent to a third-party, Yoti, which utilizes machine learning to estimate a person’s age.
You can also submit your ID to prove your age, such as a driver’s license or an ID card. Instagram says that your ID will be safely saved on their servers and erased within 30 days.
This is being tested by the company to verify that teens and adults are having the appropriate experience for their age group.
Officially, you must be at least 13 years old to sign up for an Instagram account, but the corporation made little effort to enforce this regulation for many years. Until 2019, it didn’t even bother asking new users their birthday, let alone attempting to verify it. However, after being chastised by privacy and child safety experts, Instagram has incorporated an increasing number of age-verification features, as well as measures to distinguish between younger and older users.
Instagram currently asks users to verify their age only when teenagers try to change their birth date to show they are 18 or older.
The options are being tested starting with people based in the US.