Instagram to Require Users to Provide Their Date of Birth
Instagram today said that it is now requiring all Instagram users to share their date of birth to "create safer, more private experiences for young people."
Instagram users who have not already provided their birthday to Instagram will be prompted to share it. Instagram plans to ask for date of birth when the app is opened up, and will provide notifications asking for the information a handful of times.
Users will be required to share their birthdays to continue using the Instagram app. Instagram also plans to place warning screens on certain posts and will ask for a birthday before allowing the content to be viewed. This is the same interface that's already in place for sensitive or graphic posts, but it will also now require a date of birth confirmation.
The age information will be used to create new safety features, and it will help ensure that the "right experiences" are provided to the "right age group." Back in March, Instagram introduced changes to prevent adults from sending messages to users who are under 18, and last month, began defaulting new accounts for users 16 and under to private.
Instagram is developing "new systems" to address people inputting the incorrect date of birth, using AI to estimate how old people are. Going forward, if someone selects an age and Instagram's technology disagrees, the app will offer a menu of options for age verification.
Popular Stories
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
