WhatsApp has raised its minimum age in Europe and we have questions

WhatsApp has raised the age limit for users in the European Union from the current 13 to 16.

This is in line with incoming European data privacy regulations this month.

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force on 25 May, will give people much more control over how companies use their information.

It also includes specific rules to protect youngsters whose personal data is processed in order to provide them with online services.

Now with a third of kids between 12 and 15 in the UK using WhatsApp it begs questions about accessibility and access within families. Whereas a parent perhaps in low income spaces could just message a child to tell them where to get the keys when they got home it does beg questions about the viability of such a move. Not only that, what happens to church groups, sports associations where these kids are involved in, which keep them informed on developments.

As it stands WhatsApp does not ask for age as a pre-requisite for joining which also means enforcing it might be difficult. That is unless it cross-references other platforms such as Facebook or Instagram which then opens up another conversation which the parent company has been fighting with. That it does not share information between its entities.

Perhaps there is an intention to spin off another product much like Facebook Messenger has the one specifically for kids.

In case you are asking, WhatsApp has no intention whatsoever of increasing the age limit worldwide. Unless some pot smoking despot decides they want to come with weird laws around such issues in their own countries.

We see you Magufuli. Twat.