Facebook blocks accounts of children under 13 – News Technology – Technology

Facebook and Instagram will now work more proactively to block the accounts of potential users under the age of 13, the minimum age set for the use of these social networks. Although the regulation has already been stipulated the company has announced that policies limiting the use by minors will be strengthened.

Previously, the social network only reviewed an account when it was receiving a report from a user who specifically needed to indicate that it belonged to a minor. However, now reviewers may suspend the profile if they have an indication that the user is minor and even if it has been reported for another reason such as the type of content.

When the company receives these reports or suspects a user, moderators are responsible for reviewing the content of their profile, text and photos, to try to determine their age.

If the user wants to recover his account, he must send proof, such as a copy of his photo ID certifying that he meets the 39; requirement.

However, Facebook does not ask for age proof at the time of registration and it is not clear how they can verify that the user is a minor through an image or a post.

The announcement to strengthen its policy for minors is given after the publication of a documentary in the UK, directed by Channel 4 and Firecrest Films, which revealed that during some training sessions at Dublin, Ireland, Evaluators were asked to ignore users who appeared to be younger than 13 to avoid blocking a profile.

In a statement on his official blog, the company noted that Facebook has teams from different companies around the world who review reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all time zones and in dozens of languages. "When necessary, they tailor decisions for Facebook specialists who have in-depth knowledge of the country.For specific and highly problematic types of content, such as child abuse, final decisions are made by Facebook employees. ", says the social network.

This year, Facebook doubled its moderator teams to 20,000 people, including more than 7,500 content evaluators.

In December 2017, Facebook launched a service called Messenger Kids, aimed at users under the age of 13, offering chat features and photos that quickly disappear and are controlled directly by parents.

TECNÓSFERA