Legal Age for Using Instagram in India

In February last year, the trade union government notified the 2021 Information Technology Rules (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Code of Ethics for Digital Media) (or IT Rules 2021). According to this law, Rule 4(7) states that significant social media intermediaries in the country will allow users in the country to “voluntarily verify their accounts using an appropriate mechanism, including the active Indian mobile phone number of such users.” The survey of more than 3400 schoolchildren aged 10 to 17 found that 42.9% had a social media account. Lawmakers around the world are also considering introducing rules that require platforms to carry out effective age checks. The UK`s Online Safety Bill and the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act aim to restrict the content that users under the age of 18 can access. Their review was motivated in part after a whistleblower testified last year to reveal that Facebook had put profit above the well-being of users, especially teenagers. Instagram is also taking steps to help users control who can send them direct messages. “People who turn this setting on will no longer receive messages, group message requests, or replies to stories from people they don`t want to follow,” Instagram said. A study commissioned by the National Commission for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (NCPCR) found that 37.8% of 10-year-olds have a Facebook account, while 24.3% have an Instagram account. This violates the norms set by social media platforms, noted the highest authority on children`s rights. The minimum age to create a Facebook or Instagram account is 13 years old. The option is currently only available for Instagram, and it`s not yet clear if the same will roll out to Facebook and WhatsApp as well. Meta offers users three ways to verify their age. Those selected during the testing period can upload a state-approved identification document to verify their age.

Alternatively, users can take a video selfie via the Instagram app, for which meta “uses technology” to verify the same. Finally, Meta also provides a way for a user`s mutual friends to “vouch for “vouching” the age of the former. Only users who are at least 13 years old can now join Instagram. The social giant also said it was removing the social guarantor as an age verification option. The social respondent, one of Instagram`s experimental ways to verify age under the new program, allowed a user to ask their joint followers, aged 18 or older, to vouch for age. While it didn`t elaborate on the reason, it`s likely that some users played the system by asking their mutual followers aged 18 or older to lie for them. For now, it is unclear whether this decision is related to the union government`s 2021 decree proposing “voluntary verification” of users` identities with “significant” social media intermediaries in India, i.e. platforms with more than 5 million registered (and inactive) users. On 7 August, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Information Technology, reminded Parliament that all social media intermediaries are obliged to offer this function to their users. Instagram`s decision to allow the test comes about two months after Chandrasekhar`s response in parliament.

Quality price: Should you invest in stocks with high P/E ratios like Nestlé, Asian Paints and HU? Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. The platform aims to reach more millennial users with its features like double tapping, 24-hour stories, hashtags, and more. As it is aimed at young audiences, many children under the age of 13 are trying to join the platform. Well, not anymore! Instagram also announced that in the coming months, they will use users` birthday information to create personalized experiences, such as education on account controls and recommendations for privacy settings for younger users. Instagram no longer displays young users` accounts in “Explore,” “Reels,” or “Suggested Accounts to Suspicious Adults.” They also don`t have the ability to track teens in the app, even if they find their account by typing in their username. Also Read: Instagram Tips and Tricks: How to Gain Followers, Get Likes and More The union government wants to enable verification of users` identities across a range of services, including issuing SIM cards. Last month, the telecommunications bill proposed a fine of ₹50,000, or one year in prison, for users who use false identity documents to obtain a number. Why it`s time for Indian pharmaceutical companies to increase their R&D investments In another worrying development, it was found that “chat” is the most popular feature among children using social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp, at 52.8%. Instagram has added a new safety feature for users under the age of 13. Starting today, Facebook`s photo-sharing app requires new users to enter their date of birth when creating an account. Instagram says it will use date of birth information to provide users with a personalized experience.

The Facebook-owned company shared that a study found that young people chose a personal account instead of a public account when signing up on Instagram, but enjoyed a more private experience.