“The minimum age required to use WhatsApp in the European region will increase from 16 to 13” from April 11. The mobile messaging application, which belongs to the Meta group, has just announced this change in the evolution of its conditions of use, as spotted by BFM TV. A modification that will “ensure consistency of requirements [de la plateforme] in this matter, wherever you are in the world.”
The age was raised to 16 in 2018, in accordance with the European Regulation on the Protection of Personal Data (GDPR), which came into force in May of that year. Outside of European Union nationals, users could download the application from 13 years old.
Changes to “comply with EU regulations”
This update ultimately aligns with Meta’s other apps, like Facebook and Instagram. It remains to be seen whether the change can really be effective given that no age verification measures are planned. These announcements come at a time when a “scientific consensus” from a commission should soon release its conclusions on “recommendations for the proper use of screens for children in families”, as Emmanuel Macron announced last January .
WhatsApp also announced that it had changed its terms of use and privacy policies to “comply with two new EU regulations: the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.” Thus, information will be added to indicate what is “authorized or not” on the application, but also to indicate to users the possibility of sending “to compatible third-party applications”,
The platform also indicates that “changes” will be made to “ [ses] international data transfer mechanisms” for European users.