Instagram now preventing underage users from creating accounts, requires birth date

Instagram has said that it would require new users to verify y are at least 13 when y join visually focused, Facebook-owned social network.

move aims to help Instagram comply with a US law and its own policies that require any user to be at least 13.

"Asking for this information will help prevent under people from joining Instagram, help us keep young people safer and enable more -appropriate experiences overall," an Instagram blog said.

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company said information would t be visible to ors but would help in creating "-appropriate and safer experiences" on social network with more than a billion users.

It was t immediately clear how Instagram would protect against young people providing false information, which has been a persistent issue for social media.

anuncement came a day after a TechCrunch article which ted that Instagram did t follow example of most of its social media peers in checking s of users, which could put network in violation of Child Online Privacy Protection Act.

article ted that Facebook and Instagram both employed moderators who may lock accounts of any users y suspect are under 13.

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