Facebook Inc.'s Instagram said it will require birth dates from all new users starting on Wednesday, expanding the audience for ads for alcohol and other age-restricted products while offering new safety measures for younger users.
Until now, Instagram except for limited circumstances has required its 1 billion users only to say they are at least 13 years old.
Instagram said advertisers were not the driving force for the new requirement. Gambling and birth control are among other types of ads restricted to older audiences by Instagram policies and laws.
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