JAKARTA - Instagram is starting to prevent children under 18 from lying about their age on their social media, by introducing users' age verification technology.
This feature was initially launched first for British and European Union users. With age verification, anyone who tries to edit their birth date from under 18 to over 18 years of age must go through a verification process.
Users also have the option to record their own videos that will be analyzed with age estimates technology, instead of uploading an identity card or ID card. Instagram says the update will help ensure an experience that matches the age of its users.
In fact this feature is a follow-up idea last June, when Instagram announced it was looking for ways for teens to verify their age and comply with platform rules.
Launching BBC International, Tuesday, November 8, public policy director Tara Hopkins said video age verification is an important step in providing a safe and better experience for teens on the platform.
"We want everyone to experience Instagram in a way that suits their age, which means we need to know how old they are and this is a challenge across our industry," said Hopkins.
Previously, Instagram had used selfie videos to verify the identity of locked users from their accounts. Now, the company has expanded its partnership with the UK digital identity provider, Yoti, to verify age.
After the user recorded their selfie, it was then shared with Yoti to analyze their facial features and then estimate the age of the user to be sent to Instagram.
To enforce privacy regulations, the company has confirmed that no details of accounts were shared with Yoti and the images were immediately removed by the two companies following age estimates.
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