Millions of WhatsApp users have been kicked off the app due to new data laws.
The messaging service, which is hugely popular, has brought in a blanket ban on anyone using it under the age of 16 to comply with new EU regulations.
The Facebook-owned service will now stop anyone under 16 from using the application in order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Coming into force last Friday, the GDPR requires special measures to be in place for the processing of personal data belonging to a child.
Previously anyone aged 13 and over could sign up.
As such, WhatsApp has introduced a minimum age requirement meaning anyone under the age of 16 will need to have parental or guardian consent in order to use it.
The company said that the new update meant it could "meet the new high standards of transparency for how we protect the privacy of our users".
Any WhatsApp user that didn't verify their age before the GDPR kicked into force on Friday, May 25, will now have to do so in order to continue to use the popular chat app.
Similarly, WhatsApp says it will be introducing a feature that will let users download a copy of all the data that WhatsApp has on them - which is another requirement of GDPR.
"Our goal is simply to explain how we use and protect the limited information we have about you,” WhatsApp said.
WhatsApp currently has over 1.5 billion daily users around the world and is particularly popular because of its secure end-to-end encryption.
Recently, co-founder Jan Koum left the company to pursue other interests.
"I'm leaving at a time when people are using WhatsApp in more ways than I could have imagined," he said.
"The team is stronger than ever and it'll continue to do amazing things."
