Overview
- WhatsApp confirmed it is testing a prompt that asks some Indian users to add their date of birth as a way to tell if an account holder is a minor.
- The company told reporters the prompt is optional, will not change how the app works for users who do not provide a birth date, and age details will not be visible to other WhatsApp users.
- WhatsApp framed the trial as a response to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which includes rules requiring platforms to identify users under 18 so those accounts can receive extra safeguards.
- The test comes while Meta is engaged with Indian officials over content moderation after it briefly restricted a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been asked to delay WhatsApp’s username feature over impersonation and legal concerns.
- Because India is WhatsApp’s largest market with roughly 600 million users, the outcome of these tests and government talks could shape how the app designs age checks and rolls out new features there.