Yahoo News WhatsApp is banning under-16s from using its platform in Europe
WhatsApp is to ban under-16s in Europe from using its messaging platform.
The company is changing its rules ahead of the introduction of new EU data privacy regulations next month.
At the moment, European users of WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, must be at least 13.
WhatsApp will ask users to confirm their age in the coming weeks under new terms of service.
However, it is not yet clear how the age restriction will be enforced.
WhatsApp doesn’t currently ask users their age, nor does it link their accounts to Facebook or Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook.
According to a report last year by Ofcom, a third of all 12-15-year-olds in the UK who are active on social media use WhatsApp.
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It is the fifth most popular social network among that age group after Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube.
The move by WhatsApp comes ahead of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force on May 25 and gives users more control over how online companies use their personal data.
It also features regulations to protect young people’s information when using online services.
WhatsApp says its decision to increase the age limit in the European Union will help it meet the “new high standards of transparency”.
However, it plans to continue with its age limit of 13 in the rest of the world.
In order to comply with GDPR, Facebook is asking its users who are 13 to 15 to nominate a parent or guardian to give permission for them to share information on the social network.
