Meta is expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) age-estimation technology globally to identify teenagers who may have misrepresented their age online and place them in Teen Account protections, even if they registered with an adult birthday.
The company announced the expansion on Monday, November 9, saying millions more teenagers worldwide who use Instagram would receive built-in restrictions on who can contact them, the content they see and the time they spend on the platform.
Meta said the technology would help address the challenge of teenagers providing incorrect birth dates to access experiences intended for adults. Teen Accounts are available on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, with protections designed to provide age-appropriate experiences for younger users.
The company said it was encouraged by the results of its existing age-estimation technology and would continue expanding its use. The rollout on Facebook is ongoing, while similar technology is expected to launch globally on Threads later this year.
How Meta’s AI age detection works
Meta said its AI technology identifies accounts it suspects belong to teenagers, even when the users have provided adult birthdays during registration. The company did not provide additional technical details about how the expanded technology would identify suspected teenagers in its announcement.
The expansion builds on Meta’s efforts to strengthen protections for younger users and its recent agreement with 52 bipartisan attorneys general across US states, territories and the District of Columbia. Under the agreement, Meta committed to improving how it identifies teenagers and children under 13 on its platforms.
Read more: Meta Unveils Enhanced Safety Tools for Nigerian Teens and Parents at the Youth Summit in Abuja
Meta also said it was also investing in stronger technology to identify accounts that may belong to children under 13, as well as users aged 13 to 17 who should be placed in Teen Account protections.
Meta faces growing scrutiny over teen safety
Meanwhile, the announcement comes as Meta faces lawsuits alleging that its platforms harm young users.
In August, the company reached settlements worth up to $18 billion with nearly every US state and territory over lawsuits brought by attorneys general concerning alleged harm to teenagers.
The company also settled with a teenage plaintiff last month in a Los Angeles trial examining claims that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive and contributed to mental health problems and an eating disorder.
As part of its latest announcement, Meta said parents in the United States would begin receiving Instagram notifications this month explaining how teenagers are placed in age-appropriate protections and how they can help ensure their children provide accurate ages online.
The company also called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar practices, arguing that teenagers use multiple platforms and need consistent protections across the internet.
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