Whatsapp is preparing to launch a new change to its regulation which will affect all users resident in European Union countries: the age limit set for accessing the services of the famous Meta instant messaging app, in fact, will be lowered by three years compared to what happens today. Within 48 hours, therefore, or starting from Monday 11 Aprilyou will no longer have to be 16 years of age to use the program: a novelty which, starting from that date, will also be included in the “terms of service” that WhatsApp users must sign when installing the app on their electronic devices .
It is Meta itself that indicates the most important aspects of the new regulation, which therefore it no longer provides for the 16 year threshold, as still happens today, in order to have their own personal profile. The rules were reported directly on the WhatsApp blog via an official press release.
“The minimum age for using WhatsApp in the European region will increase from 16 to 13 years“we read on the online portal of the instant messaging application.“We will also make changes to our international data transfer mechanisms”the note continues.“As always, personal messages and calls remain protected by end-to-end encryption”. Doors open, therefore, to those who have already blown out 13 candles, despite some recent controversy from many citizens who would have instead wanted to introduce more stringent age restrictions to be applied to social networks,
“We will be adding more information to our Terms regarding guidelines and policies, explaining what is and isn’t allowed on WhatsApp.”the official press release further specifies.“We will provide details on the new EU requirements that allow you to send messages from WhatsApp to supported third-party apps”another novelty, this one, anticipated by Meta just in recent days. “By continuing to use WhatsApp after April 11, 2024, you agree to these updates to our Terms of Service“, concludes the statement.
While underlining that you will need to be 13 years of age to access the app’s services, the fear is that young users will not respect the rules. “Creating an account with false information is a violation of our Terms of Service”, we read on the site. Also“registering an account on behalf of someone who does not meet the minimum age requirements is a violation of our Terms of Service”explains the portal, inviting you to report any violations through the steps indicated in the regulation.