Instagram is one of the most popular social networks. Its great success led it to be bought by Facebook (now Meta).
Instagram is focused on multimedia content (photos and short videos). This is how it differs from other social networks based on long posts (such as Facebook) or Twitter (microblogging).
However, it seems that the company is taking age verification more seriously. Multiple recent reports indicate that Instagram is now requesting mandatory birthday information.
Instagram is asking for your birthday (DOB) information
Instagram is starting to ‘force’ users to include a real date of birth in their accounts. This is bothering many users who do not like to share their personal data on any website.
This is a sign instagram is asking for my birthday and I have no issue providing that info but WHY? I am done with this s*it #instagrammarketing #Instagram.
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Instagram: “add your birthday! 🥳”
me: *immediately deletes the app* “don’t ever speak to me again”
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Some users are unable to add their date of birth
Even if users are fine with adding their actual date of birth, some are having issues trying to do so.
Some Instagram users are receiving a ‘Sorry, there was a problem’ error message that prevents them from adding their date of birth to the service, according to reports.
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every time i try to, it says “sorry there was a problem. please try again” and its an endless loop. No matter what browser or device i try to do it on. cant delete the account or anything so now i just have an account. i can never use again unless you fix this bullshit.
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This is why Instagram is asking for your birthday information
The Instagram team offers a statement where they explain the reason for the decision. They point out that Instagram users must be at least 13 years old.
You must be at least 13 years old to have an Instagram account in most countries.
We ask for birthday information to help ensure that underage people aren’t using Instagram. This includes everyone, whether the Instagram account represents you personally, or if the account was created for something else (example: accounts dedicated to a pet, hobby, or brand).
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They also adds that the date of birth helps personalize the experience. In addition, the accounts of children under 13 years of age or those who refuse to include the birthday information could be removed.
This information also helps us provide age-appropriate and safer experiences for the youngest members of the Instagram community. For example, when users under 16 years old (or under 18 in certain countries) sign up for an Instagram account, the account is set to Private by default.
Note: If your Instagram account is under review for being under 13 or you have added your birthday and are under 13, you’ll see a message that says You’re Not Old Enough to Use Instagram and your account will be removed.
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There is still no official acknowledgment from the company about the error that some users are facing when trying to add their date of birth. We will update this story if new events related to the matter arise.
Update 1
Users who have linked their Facebook profiles to Instagram won’t have to fill in their birthday info manually as the app will fetch the information from their Facebook profile itself.
This is why many users haven’t received the pop-up message from Instagram asking for their birthday info.
Update 2
Fake date of birth will not work on Instagram anymore. The newer and more advanced, AI-based algorithms will now detect accurate age of the user.
Update 3
In case you have added an incorrect date of birth on your Instagram profile previously, here’s how you can edit it on Android, iOS, or a web browser.
Android & iOS:
– Tap profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
– Tap Edit profile.
– Tap Personal information settings at the bottom.
– Tap Birthday and enter your date of birth, or tap Update on Facebook.
Web browser:
– Click your profile picture in the top-right corner, then click profile Profile.
– Click Edit profile, then click Birthday at the bottom.
– Enter your date of birth, then click Done.
– Click Confirm. (Source)
Update 4
Some users are now reporting that Instagram’s new age detection algorithm is not accepting their date of birth even though it’s correct. It keeps saying that the age is incorrect.
However, one of the affected users said that choosing a different year of birth may help users resolve this error.
Update 5
It appears that the Instagram reminders asking for the user’s date of birth are now becoming more aggressive. Users are reporting that they are appearing every few minutes.