- Instagram says it is testing two different ways for users to verify their age online.
- Yoti, an AI tool, will estimate ages once users upload a video selfie of themselves.
- Second option lets people select three mutuals who would verify users’ age.
Meta-owned platform Instagram announced Thursday that it is testing new methods to verify users’ age on their platform.
The photo/video sharing application said that it is testing two different ways which would allow the users to verify their age online, starting from the United States, Business Recorder reported.
The app will also allow the users to upload their identities online.
Director of data governance at Meta, Erica Finkle, said: “When we know if someone is a teen (13-17 years), we provide them with age-appropriate experiences like defaulting them into private accounts, preventing unwanted contact from adults they don’t know and limiting the options advertisers have to reach them with ads.”
Instagram is partnering with Yoti — an AI tool which estimates an age of a person by scanning their face.
Yoti will estimate the ages once the users upload a video selfie of themselves. The social app said that the videos will be deleted after the age verification.
The second option lets the people select three mutuals who would verify the users’ age. However, those verifying must be at least 18 years old.
The decision comes after Instagram was heavily criticised following the launch of Instagram Kids, which ended up putting the project on pause.
