Instagram’s Age Verification: Adults with Mustaches Over 16—But What About 13-Year-Olds?

Instagram’s method for confirming if a user surpasses 16 years old is fairly straightforward, especially when the individual is evidently an adult. However, what occurs if a 13-year-old attempts to alter their birth date to seem older?

In November, Meta informed Instagram and Facebook users whose birth dates are registered as under 16 that their accounts would be disabled as part of Australia’s prohibition on social media use for children. This rule will take effect on December 10, with Meta announcing that access for users younger than 16 will start being revoked from December 4.

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Dummy social media accounts were created on phones as part of Guardian Australia’s investigation into what content different age groups access on the platform.

One account was created on Instagram with the age set at 15 to observe the impact of the social media ban for users under 16. Instagram later stated: “Under Australian law, you will soon be unable to use social media until you turn 16.”

“You cannot use an Instagram account until you’re 16, which means your profile will not be visible to you or anyone else until that time.”

“We’ll inform you when you can access Instagram again.”

The account was then presented with two choices: either download account data and deactivate until the user is 16, or verify their date of birth.

The second option enables users to submit a “video selfie” to validate that the account holder is older than 16. The app activated the front-facing camera and prompted the adult test user, distinguished by a thick beard, to shift their head side to side. This resembles the authentication method used for face unlock on smartphones.

The notification indicated that the verification process usually takes 1-2 minutes, but may extend up to 48 hours.

The app promptly indicated that accounts created by adult test users were recognized as 16 years or older.

In another test, a 13-year-old boy created a fresh account on his mobile device, avoiding installing Instagram and using a birth date that clearly suggested he was under 16. There was no immediate alert regarding the upcoming social media ban.

When the child attempted to change their date of birth to reflect an adult age, the same video selfie facial age estimation process was performed.

Within a minute, it replied, “We couldn’t verify your age,” and requested a government-issued ID for date of birth verification.

Facial age testing during the Age Assurance Trial revealed that individuals over 21 were generally much less prone to being misidentified as under 16. Meanwhile, those closer to 16 years of age and minorities experienced higher rates of false positives and negatives.

Meta may have already assessed users who haven’t been notified as 18 years or older, utilizing data such as birth date, account lifespan, and other user activity.

A Meta representative mentioned that the experiment demonstrated that the process functions as expected, with “adult users being capable of verifying their age and proceeding, while users under 16 undergo an age check when attempting to alter their birth date.”

“That said, we must also recognize the findings of the Age Assurance Technical Examination, which highlights the specific difficulties of age verification at the 16-year threshold and anticipates that the method may occasionally be imperfect,” the spokesperson added.

Last month, Communications Minister Annika Wells acknowledged the potential challenges confronting the implementation of the ban.

“We recognize that this law isn’t flawless, but it is essential to ensure that there are no gaps,” she stated.

Meta collaborates with Yoti for age verification services. The company asserts on its website that facial images will be destroyed once the verification process concludes.

The ban impacts Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads platforms, as well as others such as Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X, and YouTube.