Meta expands automated age estimation to protect teens globally

Meta is launching automated age estimation technology globally this month to identify teenagers on Instagram.

The company plans to expand this technology to Facebook and Threads later this year. This move follows a billion dollar legal settlement in the United States where the company agreed to improve how it identifies minors. The artificial intelligence technology analyzes user behavior and posts to estimate a person's age.

This allows the company to place users into Teen Account protections even if those users provide a fake adult birthday during registration. Teen accounts include specific restrictions such as a two hour daily usage limit, a nighttime curfew from midnight to 6am, and muted notifications during school hours between 8am and 3pm. The company also hides social comparison features like likes and reactions for these accounts.

Meta implemented these measures following lawsuits from US attorneys general who alleged that its platforms encouraged addictive behavior and failed to verify user ages. The company agreed to pay 18 billion dollars to the states to enact these changes. Meta also called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar practices to ensure child safety across the industry.