Back in June 2022, Instagram launched a new age verification tool that would create more transparency on the platform. Fast-forward to March 2023, the firm is now rolling out the feature to more countries like Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea.

As mentioned previously, Instagram started this new age verification service back in June 2022, requiring users to verify their age on the platform. Now, this doesn't apply to all users but only pops up in certain scenarios. For example, if a user that is under the age of 18 and for some reason suddenly decides to change their birthday to one that makes them a legal adult. In this instance, Instagram will ask for age verification, and now offers three different ways to do this.

The first is that the user may submit a copy of their ID. In addition, they can also send a video selfie to the platform's verification partner Yoti, which specializes in online age verification. And finally, the user can reach out to another friend on Instagram to have them verify their age. Now as to why this kind of verification process was rolled out? Instagram wanted to "provide appropriate experiences to different age groups, specifically teens." For the most part, this is just a tiny sample of what the platform has been doing over the past year to make Instagram a safer place not only for its users, but also its younger audience.

Prior to the new roll-out, Instagram already expanded the verification system to new countries like Brazil and India. For the most part, this should be a good thing, especially since there are lots of new users every day. In addition to new protections for younger users, the platform has also introduced new safeguards that will allow users to completely disconnect from Instagram if they choose to, while also putting content front and center.


Source: Meta

Via: TechCrunch