I wouldn't say it's really that new, assuming an even distribution of passports over time, close to 40% of active US passports probably fall under those rules.
That would still mean 60% of passport holders will be surprised by this change. I hadn't heard of it, and I'll need to renew my passport in a little over a year.
Apparently it's cause people can't figure out how to take a photo with glasses properly.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel_old/en/news/no-glass...