Instagram’s age verification identified a moustachioed adult as over 16 – but how did it go with a 13-year-old?

<p>Meta platform allows users under 16 in Australia to change their date of birth – but only after clearing a ‘video selfie’ or providing government ID</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/01/australia-news-live-greens-gas-export-tax-cost-of-living-house-prices-interest-rates-reserve-bank-inflation-newcastle-rising-tide-coal-labor-coalition-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Instagram’s process for determining whether a user is over 16 is relatively quick and painless if you’re clearly an adult – but how does it work if a 13-year-old tries to change their account’s date of birth to make them appear grown up?</p><p>Meta in November <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/19/meta-starts-notifying-australian-teens-of-account-shutdowns-as-social-media-ban-looms">began notifying Instagram and Facebook users</a> whose date of birth is set as under 16 – or who the platform understands to be under 16 – that their accounts will be deactivated as part of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/social-media-ban">Australia’s social media ban</a> for children. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/23/australia-under-16-social-media-ban-how-will-it-work-which-platforms-age-verification">ban takes effect on 10 December</a>, but Meta has said it will start removing access to users under 16 from 4 December.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/01/instagram-age-verification-u16-social-media-ban-australia-moustache">Continue reading...</a>

Read the full article at: The Guardian World →