Meta Considers Video Selfie Age Check

With more and more countries imposing their own restrictions on social media usage for younger users, Meta is taking steps into its own hands – by exploring the option to add an age cap to video selfies.

This move may only apply to a very specific form of content on Meta platforms, but the hope is that users across Instagram and Facebook will be protected if the third party apps recognise them as potentially being underage. 

How Will the Age Block Work?

The idea is that, under this new solution, Meta platforms will use a third party age verification filter across its videos. 

When users sign up for a Meta social profile, they already have to provide information that verifies their age. This additional age checker will be fixed to video selfies, assessing the face that appears in front of the camera and estimating its age. 

Of course, the technology needs to be pretty tight in order to work. Eligible users and creators who rely on video to boost engagement and to earn both likes and comments from followers need to be able to access video selfies unrestricted. This is why the tool is currently in development and being rolled out as a concept gradually. 

Overall though, the idea is that imposing this restriction and verification step will protect and prevent younger users from putting their faces out there on social media and being exploited. This is not the only move Meta is making to block younger users from accessing certain tools and areas of the social landscape, but it could act as yet another barrier to them uploading selfie videos of themselves.