Instagram Age Verification
Some good news on the social media front! Instagram has announced a new feature implemented to help protect children. As long as you as a…
Some good news on the social media front! Instagram has announced a new feature implemented to help protect children. As long as you as a parent has used the correct date of birth for your child if they try to change that DoB to one that makes them over 18 they will be forced through this new process.
The user will then have to provide an ID or a video selfie which will be passed through an automated age estimation technology process. The provider of the technology will not receive any account details and the selfies provided will be immediately deleted immediately after the process is complete.
In response to the announcement, the NSPCC said it was pleased to see steps being taken, but the measures did not go far enough, and the tools should be applied to everyone on the site.
NSPCC policy and regulatory manager Richard Collard said: “With Ofcom research showing that a third of under-18s on social media admitted setting up adult accounts, it is crucial that Instagram takes the necessary steps to ensure that these children are not being exposed to risk or harm.
“But these measures will seemingly do little to stop new young users from creating adult accounts on Instagram or protect children who are already using them.
“This halfway house is exactly why the government needs to quickly deliver a robust Online Safety Bill which ensures that every social media site has a legal obligation to protect children from harmful content on their platform.”
I have to agree with them as this will only be of use if parents have set up the account for the child, it does nothing if the child set the account up initially with a false age. It is definitely a step in the right direction though and I am glad to see social media companies starting to take more responsibility for the safety of children online.
Originally published at https://cybersafetyguy.com on November 8, 2022.
