Instagram adds new age-restrictor feature for Branded Content

A new article on Social Media Today reports that Instagram has added a feature that adds another layer of protection for users and brands, meaning businesses can now set requirements for the minimum age a viewer needs to be before they can actually see the content.



Also added is the ability for Instagram users to set age requirements on individual posts.

This is what Instagram had to say on the matter:

Obviously, this is not the first age restriction feature Instagram has implemented onto the platform. There are already age restrictions in place for certain product types that you can't be a minor to view, such as alcohol, non-prescription drugs, etc. These all fall under specific regulatory categories, and this new protection feature will maximize promotion visibility, yet also ensuring brands promoting this type of content stay in line with legal requirements.

This new feature will be useful for brands that want to promote content in varying regions, where age restrictions in different product categories occur, such as alcohol.

Privacy concerns
Instagram's journey to improve age requirements to better protect younger users began after reports surfaced suggesting that lots of young people were unintentionally sharing their personal information on the app

Last December, Instagram added new age checks in the account creation process and also implemented minimum age checks for business accounts because younger uses were creating them to get the added insights feature.

Last year in December, a report was released that suggested "more than two million 12-15 year old Instagram users currently have their phone and/or email information publicly listed on the platform".

Of course, this is a serious security concern for the platform.

This feature is definitely great for brands using Instagram, and it's a much-needed security upgrade to the app.