Blogger added to the Under 18 User Limitations with Google Workspace for Education
Earlier this year, Google announced that users under 18 will have more restricted access to services and lose access to some additional services. By now you know that these restrictions are in full effect and these changes are rolling out across the world. If you need help understanding these new restrictions and how to set up your domain correctly, we recommend checking out this blog from our friends at Amplified IT in the USA.
You can see the full list of restrictions and services not available to users under 18.
Well…starting January 2022, this list of services will include Blogger. Google reached out to educational institution admins today to remind us that under-18 users will lose access to Blogger in January of 2022. These extra months allow your institution time to transition users and their work. After January 2022, blogs where the sole admin is under 18 will be removed and the contents permanently deleted after 90 days.
You probably have questions. In the email, Google included the following FAQs:
FAQs
Q: After January 2022, will users under 18 be able to access Blogger?
A: No, these accounts will not be able to access Blogger.
Q: What happens to Blogs in January 2022?
A: If a blog is solely owned by a user under 18, it will be removed in January 2022 and the contents permanently deleted after 90 days.
Q: After January 2022, can under 18 users continue to download blog content via Google Takeout?
A: Yes, the blog content will be available for 90 days after the change.
Q: After January 2022, will users under 18 be able to comment?
A: No, these users will not be able to leave comments on blog posts.
Q: Can users under 18 access the settings on their blog dashboard to download a backup?
A: Before January 2022, users can access the Settings page to download a backup. Starting January 2022, they will need to use Google Takeout if they wish to download their content.
Q: How are team blogs affected after Jan 2022 if the blog has an over 18 admin or author? In the unlikely event of (say) a single under 18 admin and a single over 18 author, will the author be promoted to admin?
A: After Jan 2022, if a blog has an Admin that is over 18, the blog will continue to exist. Blogs where the sole admin is under 18 will be deleted. Users under 18 will no longer be able to access Blogger. Over 18 authors will not be promoted to admin automatically.
Administrators should ensure that Google Takeout is turned on so that end users can download their data, like previously uploaded posts, using Google Takeout. Alternatively users can download their data by going to their blog Settings > Manage Blog > Back up content.
If we can help you make sense of this, feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to schedule a call.
–Jim
, then start writing!
