Instagram adds new age verification features to better detect and protect younger users
A new article on Social Media Today reports that amid ongoing concerns around how social apps expose teens to inappropriate content, Instagram has announced some new measures to ensure that youngsters are being adequately identified in the app, building on its existing tools to detect and protect younger users.
Instagram explains:
The expanded effort will significantly enhance Instagram's capacity for identifying underage users, with the main enhancement being a new video selfie process, in partnership with Yoti, which can provide AI-based estimates on a person's age.
As outlined in the video, Yoti's system is trained on a huge dataset of anonymous images of a diverse range of people from around the world. Based on this, Yoti's process is able to accurately estimate a person's age from a video selfie by referencing a range of parameters.
That'll provide an extra level of protection within Instagram's systems, in cases where there's a question about a user's age.
Yoti is already a leading age verification provider for several industries around the world, and the additional checking process is a significant upgrade in Meta's tools.
And as Meta notes (repeatedly), it won't keep your video selfie on file, neither will Yoti, so your privacy will be protected in this process.
In addition to this, Meta's also adding a new 'social vouching' feature to confirm user ages.
Meta once had a similar system in place for re-accessing locked accounts, with 'Trusted Friends' able to confirm your identity. That's since been depreciated, but this new process will use a similar system to confirm a users' age, adding another layer of confirmation.
The final new measure is the capacity to upload your ID to verify your age.
Meta's very keen, again, to point out the temporary nature of this type of data upload and usage - which makes sense, given the various misuses of personal data that's been uploaded for similar purpose.
On top of all this, Meta also uses AI systems to understand whether someone is a teen or an adult.
Instagram explains:
| "Starting today, we're testing new options for people on Instagram to verify their age, starting with people based in the US. If someone attempts to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, we'll require them to verify their age using one of three options: upload their ID, record a video selfie or ask mutual friends to verify their age." |
As outlined in the video, Yoti's system is trained on a huge dataset of anonymous images of a diverse range of people from around the world. Based on this, Yoti's process is able to accurately estimate a person's age from a video selfie by referencing a range of parameters.
That'll provide an extra level of protection within Instagram's systems, in cases where there's a question about a user's age.
Yoti is already a leading age verification provider for several industries around the world, and the additional checking process is a significant upgrade in Meta's tools.
And as Meta notes (repeatedly), it won't keep your video selfie on file, neither will Yoti, so your privacy will be protected in this process.
In addition to this, Meta's also adding a new 'social vouching' feature to confirm user ages.
| "[Social vouching] allows you to ask mutual followers to confirm how old you are. The person vouching must be at least 18 years old, must not be vouching for anyone else at that time and will need to meet other safeguards we have in place. The three people you select to vouch for you will receive a request to confirm your age and will need to respond within three days." |
Meta once had a similar system in place for re-accessing locked accounts, with 'Trusted Friends' able to confirm your identity. That's since been depreciated, but this new process will use a similar system to confirm a users' age, adding another layer of confirmation.
The final new measure is the capacity to upload your ID to verify your age.
| "We will use your ID to confirm your age and help keep our community safe. Your ID will be stored securely on our servers and is deleted within 30 days." |
Meta's very keen, again, to point out the temporary nature of this type of data upload and usage - which makes sense, given the various misuses of personal data that's been uploaded for similar purpose.
On top of all this, Meta also uses AI systems to understand whether someone is a teen or an adult.
