Social media platforms like Facebook are notoriously good when it comes to privacy and protecting users from inappropriate content.
One of the best ways that Facebook protects younger users is with a minimum age limit, determined by the date of birth that they enter during sign up.
But what is that minimum age? Let’s take a closer look.
Facebook’s Minimum Age
Both Facebook and Instagram have a minimum user age of 13.
This is monitored and checked using their birth date, which they are required to enter during sign up.
However, that’s not to say that users can’t lie about their age and make it appear as if they are older during the sign up process. Which leads us into the next part of this article – how Facebook is working to reduce the number of underage users.
How Is Facebook Reducing Underage Users?
The first thing that Facebook does is restrict new users from entering different birth dates during the sign up process. If multiple dates are attempted, the user will be blocked from creating an account.
In addition, Facebook has a comprehensive user reporting system which asks users to flag when they think they have come across an account that’s owned by an underage user. These reports are then assessed by content reviewers and moderators who can take further action including deleting accounts held by underage users.
AI is the other tool which is increasingly being used as part of Facebook’s user protection system, monitoring activity and using it to build up more information about the users behind each account.
Is There an Alternative for Underage Users?
With all this in mind, it’s important to understand that young people are increasingly active online regardless of the age limits and blocks on social media – and so there may be a call to create alternatives for them rather than blocking them from using Facebook and other platforms.
Companies like Meta are exploring Instagram and Facebook-like platforms that are suitable for younger users – removing potential hazards and giving them a safe and secure outlet for online engagement.
We hope this helps you to not only understand what the minimum age is on Facebook but why it exists and why creating these safer experiences is so important.
