Twitter Asks Users' Birthdates To Know If They Are Over 18 As It Looks To Filter Sensitive Content

Twitter Inc. TWTR is stepping up its attempts to censor sensitive content by asking users to confirm their birthdates.

What Happened: Twitter is working on filtering age-appropriate content to prevent underage users from viewing sensitive material. It's asking users to enter their birthdates before viewing age-restricted material. The social media giant aims to stop users under the age of 18 from accessing inappropriate content, reported TechCrunch. 

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"We're slowly rolling out a feature to aid in restricting certain sensitive content from people who are under 18 years old or have not submitted their date of birth," a Twitter spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Twitter did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

Of late, Twitter has been asking many users to add their date of birth to their profile. Twitter will use this data to show its users relevant content, including ads, as per its Privacy Policy. 

Why It's Important: Twitter prohibits users under 13 on the platform, but many lie about their age. A third of children lie about their age to appear 18 and above on social media, said the TechCrunch report, citing U.K. communications regulator Ofcom. 

With this announcement, Twitter may be taking pre-emptive action to get into the good books of legislators, the report noted. California is pushing ahead with a law known as California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, which seeks to impose stringent limits on under-18 users’ access to online content. The UK’s upcoming Online Safety Bill also intends to make the internet safer by preventing youngsters from accessing adult content. 

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