Meta has announced that it is taking its AI age detection global. The system finds teens who use an adult birthday and moves them into Teen Account protections. Meta says millions more teens on Instagram will be covered.
The age someone typed in at sign-up no longer decides which rules apply. Teen Accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger automatically limit who can contact teens, what they see, and how long they spend on the apps. Meta calls the age problem an industry-wide challenge, since some teens may misrepresent their age online to reach experiences they’re not old enough to use.
Meta hasn’t given a number beyond “millions”, a list of countries, or a date for Facebook, where it says it’s continuing to roll the technology out. Later this year, Threads will begin getting similar technology globally. Reports from The Verge and SFG Media add that the system removes accounts it estimates belong to users under 13.
This month, parents in the United States will begin receiving an Instagram notification. It explains how Meta places teens in age-appropriate protections and how they can keep their teen’s age accurate. In Australia, Meta also uses Apple’s age-range signal, which Meta says stays optional for app stores and developers.
In May, Meta brought its age prediction to Instagram in all 27 EU member states and Brazil, and to Facebook in the US. It ties this wider push to its August agreement with 52 bipartisan US attorneys general to improve how it identifies teens and children under 13. Discord has also launched global teen safety settings with age verification earlier this year.
Meta wants the rest of the industry, especially app stores, to carry some of the load. It says it has long supported laws requiring age verification and parental consent in app stores.
We’ve set a strong standard for age assurance, but unless other companies follow suit, teens remain inconsistently protected online, defeating the purpose of these laws.
Meta
