Tell HN: Instagram requires you to enter birth date (and provide ID)

by user_named on 6/9/2022, 12:44 AM with 19 comments

So I just got a gated "tell us your age" modal on Instagram, both web and in the app. Absolutely no way to get past it without entering my information.

The reason they give is "we'll show you better ads".

Tried to input that I'm 1, 2, 3... years of age (nearest options on the year selector).

It wouldn't accept my age until I got up to 7. Then it let me submit and then locked my account.

Now I had to give them my ID or they will permanently disable my account in 30 days.

I am not a US citizen, I am an EU citizen. There is no reason they can require this information - happy to hear what type of GDPR or other request I can file to get them to remove my birth date and my ID which I just submitted.

  • by EddieDante on 6/9/2022, 1:36 AM

    Instagram is doing you a favor. Life's too short to spend on social media.

  • by speedgoose on 6/9/2022, 4:51 AM

    I usually give the 1st of January 1970 as birthdate when I don’t want to give my real one.

  • by drakonka on 6/9/2022, 8:10 AM

    They pestered me with this for a while and I kept closing the app. Eventually, they asked me for just my age instead. I stupidly provided my real age, but I wish I'd tried to make something up. I have stopped using Instagram as much as I used to anyway in favor of longer form blog content, and this just convinced me to keep moving away from it. I'm experimenting with building a little Fediverse self-hosted alternative for myself and hope to move to something like that eventually.

  • by throw03172019 on 6/9/2022, 12:58 AM

    Why would you choose age 7.

  • by ecesena on 6/9/2022, 2:04 PM

    I recommend this podcast for context: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lex-fridman-podcast/id...

    (sorry for the apple link, I’m on the go)

  • by muzani on 6/9/2022, 6:42 AM

    It doesn't really matter that you're not a US or EU citizen. It's just easiest to comply with all the laws by not allowing children.

    I'm not going to ask users where they're from because that's a level creepier than asking for birth date.

  • by icedchai on 6/9/2022, 1:14 AM

    This sounds like your fault for not using "reasonably looking" fake information.

  • by ja27 on 6/9/2022, 2:04 AM

    Relatedly, 9to5Mac got their Twitter account locked today for the same reason.

    https://twitter.com/9to5Mac

  • by yuppie_scum on 6/9/2022, 12:51 AM

    We don’t need kids on IG

  • by mtmail on 6/9/2022, 12:58 AM

    In the US the reason is the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), for the UK "The requirement has been introduced just two days before the UK begins enforcing the age appropriate design code." https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/aug/31/instagram... I'm not sure if there is a similar EU ruling but such a legal requirements overrules GDPR.

    By setting your age to 7 you locked yourself out. Possible they won't allow you to change the birth date and you'd be locked out forever.