Viral 'birth year' prank can get you suspended from Twitter
What's the story
If you're a Twitter regular, you may have noticed that some people are calling for a birth year change on the platform, saying it will change the looks of your feed. But watch out, this is nothing but a prank that is spreading like wildfire. More worryingly, it can actually get your account suspended. Several people have already fallen for the hoax. Here's more.
Hoax
Hoax: Changing birth year to 2007 will turn feed colorful
As part of the prank, which started making the round since Monday, people are being asked to change the birth year of their profile to 2007. Those contributing to the hoax claimed that the change would enable a hidden theme, making your Twitter feed all colorful. But, as many found out the hard way, the action comes with critical repercussions.
Twitter Post
Here is the viral prank
damn changing your birth year to 2007 makes your twitter feed all colourful we been missin out
— 44 (@s_rxii) March 25, 2019
Impact
Changing year to 2007 gets account suspended
As a number of unsuspecting users changed their birth year to 2007, Twitter started locking them out of their accounts. No, not because they were supporting the prank but because the microblogging site requires its users to be "13 or older." So naturally, if you change your birth year to 2007, you'll be a 12-year-old in Twitter's eyes and ineligible to use the platform.
Warning
Many accounts have already been blocked
Speaking to BuzzFeed, a Twitter spokesperson claimed they noticed the weird 'year-changing' trend on Tuesday when there was a sudden spike in the number of automatically locked accounts. After this, the company issued an official warning, asking users not to fall for this prank otherwise they'll get blocked. "Please don't do this," it said. "You'll get locked out for being under 13 years old."
Twitter Post
Here's what Twitter said
We’ve noticed a prank trying to get people to change their Twitter birthday in their profile to unlock new color schemes. Please don’t try this. We don't have different color schemes based on your birthday.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) March 27, 2019
Do you know?
Interestingly, Twitter doesn't require age for new accounts
Twitter doesn't require new users to enter their age while signing up, but if a user chooses to add their birthday on their profile, they have to be 13 or older. Otherwise, the platform will block them automatically.
Solution
What to do if already blocked
Now that you've been warned, it's also important to note that Twitter has a way to help those who have lost access to their account. You just have to follow the instructions sent on your mail and appeal against the suspension. Alternatively, you can also login with your email-password on Twitter and follow the options of adding the correct year or fill this form: https://bit.ly/2lItWla.