Facebook-owned WhatsApp is raising the minimum age for all European users to 16 ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation's implementation. The company has stopped short of asking for users' birth dates but they will have to confirm they are aged at least 16 years when the updated terms of service are presented. GDPR, which rolls out on 25 May, will impose new rules on the use of children's data. Facebook said it would not ask people under 18 whether their parents had given them permission before using the service.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is raising the minimum age for all European users to 16 ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation's implementation. The company has stopped short of asking for users' birth dates but they will have to confirm they are aged at least 16 years when the updated terms of service are presented. GDPR, which rolls out on 25 May, will impose new rules on the use of children's data. Analysts have criticised the ease with which younger Facebook and WhatsApp users will be able to get around the age limit.