Instagram will automatically limit access to sensitive content for underage users

Instagram has been forcing all users to enter their date of birth on their account since last year, with the effects only now becoming apparent.

Previously managed loosely, relying on users’ honesty to declare their real age, age sorting of Instagram users is now entering a new phase. Thus existing Instagram account holders are simply asked if they want to reconfirm their real age, with the “incorrect” answer potentially leading to certain posts being hidden until the previously declared age is reached. For newly registered Instagram accounts, the originally declared age can no longer be changed, defining the main criteria for access to the platform’s content.

Officially, Meta classifies access to Instagram content using three levels of access: ‘Less’, ‘Standard’ and ‘More’. The level selected so far for the under-18 audience was Standard, with Meta also introducing the Less level as a solution to further protect underage users from content attributed to scenes of violence, sexually explicit scenes, prohibited cosmetic procedures and other “sensitive” topics. One can only wonder what exactly the “Standard” level covered, if the “Less” option adds so many new situations.

Further, only users with a stated age over 18 can access the “More” level, at which all of Instagram’s “awesomeness,” such as the ability to interact without curtain with people of any age, marketers of uncertain specifics, and viewing images classified “for mature audiences,” becomes a simple matter of checking the “See More” button.