Instagram might soon ask for your birthday.
Follow Rich DeMuro on Instagram for more tech news, tips and tricks.
Facebook says the new question is to create a safer, more private experience for young users. They’ll use the information to weed out content and advertising that might not appropriate for them.
Starting now, Instagram will show a notification asking for your date of birth. You can say no a handful of times, but it might impact your ability to continue using the app.
You might also see a warning screen on a post that’s sensitive or graphic – if you haven’t already confirmed your birthday, you’ll have to enter the information to see the post.
Facebook says they know some people will fib about their date of birth, but they have a solution for that, too. The company has already explained how they’re using artificial intelligence to estimate a user’s age, especially data scraped from posts that mention “Happy Birthday.”
Keep in mind, Instagram will only show the new birthday prompt to users that haven’t previously given their age. If you’re curious if you’ve already shared the information (including through a linked Facebook account), you can go to Instagram > Settings > Account > Personal Information.
Listen to the Rich on Tech podcast for answers to your tech questions.
