Instagram is introducing technology to help verify the age of users in the UK and EU as part of a major safety update. Starting today, anyone who tries to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under 18 to over 18 will be asked to verify their age by either uploading their ID or record a video selfie which will be analysed by independent age estimation technology.
Instagram said the new system would help ensure users were having an age-appropriate experience on the platform. Online safety campaigners have long called for age verification technology to become mandatory online to protect children from inappropriate and potentially harmful content.
Instagram’s age estimation system sees the company working with UK firm Yoti, which specialises in the technology. The two companies said that after a user records their selfie it is shared with Yoti, which uses its technology to analyse facial features and then share an age estimation with Instagram.
They note that Yoti’s technology is not facial recognition technology and therefore cannot identify or recognise anyone – only estimate the age of the face it is shown. No account details are shared with Yoti during this process and the image is instantly deleted by both Yoti and Instagram after the age has been estimated, the firms say.
Instagram first began testing the system in a number of other countries earlier this year. Tara Hopkins, Instagram’s public policy director, said: “We want everyone to experience Instagram in a way that’s appropriate for their age, which means we need to know how old they are – and this is a challenge across our industry.
“That’s why today’s announcement is such an important step, and why we’re particularly excited to be working with Yoti, who are leading the way in building effective technology to verify age, while putting privacy first.
“This work complements our ongoing efforts to improve our age detection technology, and to develop new ways to give teens the safest and most meaningful experience possible on Instagram.”
Julie Dawson, chief policy and regulatory officer at Yoti, said: “Proving age online is a complex, industry-wide challenge. We are delighted to continue our work with Meta to create age-appropriate experiences and enable people to thrive and be safe online.
“Our facial age estimation is a privacy-preserving solution. We built it to give everyone a secure way to prove their age without sharing their name or an ID document.
“The technology can allow minors to access content which is appropriate for their age, whilst protecting the privacy of users. Today’s announcement is another step in the right direction to create safer online environments.”
