After a test phase in the United States, and deployment in India and Brazil, user age verification via a video selfie is coming to Instagram in France and Europe. Via this tool, the facial features of the user will be analyzed to estimate their age. The social network will then make sure to offer content adapted to young users.
For several months, Instagram has made sure to multiply the tools to protect the youngest users, especially since the publication of several studies attesting to the harmful effects of the application on the mental health of minors.
In August 2022, Instagram launched an automatic filter that prevents minors from seeing certain sensitive content, relating in particular to firearms or drugs for example. Since September 2022, nudes sent by private message are now blocked by the application.
And in June 2022, the social network announced the future integration of a brand new system to verify the age of Internet users on its platform. To do this, Instagram account use video selfie to analyze the user’s facial features and estimate their age. For the occasion, the app has teamed up with Yoti, a company specializing in online age verification. It is the leading provider of age verification solutions in the market, especially in social networks, games and e-commerce.
Also read: Instagram threatens to block your account if you don’t give your date of birth
Instagram will use video selfies to verify the age of French users
However, after a test phase of this system in the United States, and a gradual deployment in Brazil and India, Instagram confirmed this Tuesday, November 8, 2022 its arrival in France and Europe. “Ensuring a caring and safe space for all members of its community is a top priority for Instagram. The platform is constantly increasing its efforts to offer the best possible experience, especially for the youngest,” assured Instagram in its official press release.
Instagram specifies that all video selfies made as part of this process will be immediately deleted after analysis. In addition, the app claims that this technology does not recognize your identity, but only to issue an estimate of your age. Note that it is still possible to import an identity document (or another official document such as a passport or driver’s license) to verify your age. Again, these documents are deleted from Instagram’s servers after 30 days. Finally, note that Instagram has decided to remove age verification via confirmation by an acquaintance. This was one of the methods in the test phase, along with the video selfie.