WhatsApp will start mandatory age verification of users

The popular WhatsApp messenger, owned by the American Meta Corporation, plans to introduce a mandatory function of verifying the age of users in some countries. This is reported by WaBetaInfo.

The innovation is due to the fact that Europe has established the minimum age for using the Internet service (13 years), but WhatsApp does not have the necessary verification tool.

The new feature will prompt users to enter their date of birth, which will be kept private and cannot be changed once entered. This strategy is reminiscent of a similar approach previously implemented on Instagram (also owned by Meta).

WhatsApp has a two-fold reason for making such changes. First, new age verification legislation is being introduced in several US states. Second, recent laws in the European Union make the safety of minors online a priority.

The exact launch date and implementation details of this feature are currently unknown.