Meta Expands AI Age Verification to All Users Worldwide

Meta has begun rolling out its automated age-estimation technology to users across the globe starting this month. The expansion follows significant legal settlements and widespread criticism regarding the company's ability to protect teenagers from online harms. In a statement released on Monday, the social media giant explained that it utilizes artificial intelligence to identify users who are likely teenagers, even if they have entered an adult birthdate during account setup. These identified users are then automatically placed into a system of Teen Account protections.

The company noted that since the initial introduction of this technology, it has successfully placed more teenagers into age-appropriate safety categories. Meta stated that it is encouraged by these results and is now expanding the tool globally based on that success. Teen accounts come with specific restrictions and safeguards that limit the types of contacts, content, and time users can spend on the platform. This automated process addresses a common issue where minors create accounts using fake birthdays to bypass standard parental controls and access content intended for older audiences.

Parents in the United States who manage Instagram accounts for their teenagers will receive notifications about these new measures later this month. Meta plans to extend the age-estimation algorithm to its other major platforms, including Facebook and Threads, later in the year. The AI system, which has been tested in various countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, works by analyzing user behavior and posts to estimate the individual's age.

While parents can manually create restricted teen accounts for their children, the new feature allows the system to automatically categorize accounts based on its analysis. This capability ensures that accounts set up with a manually entered birthday that falsely indicates adulthood are still subject to appropriate restrictions. Meta maintains several age-based categories, with children under 13 generally banned from using the apps. Teenagers are reminded to leave Instagram after 60 minutes of activity, and notifications are muted during nighttime hours when users are typically sleeping.

Additional restrictions for teen accounts include a daily usage limit of two hours. These accounts are also blocked from viewing social comparison features, such as the number of likes and reactions on other teen accounts. These measures are part of a broader strategy to address growing legal challenges worldwide concerning how teenagers interact with social media platforms.

Child development experts have argued that platforms like Instagram and Facebook can be highly addictive for young people. They contend that these apps reinforce social pressures through post reactions and expose users to harmful content. In Australia, a ban on social media use for anyone under 16 was passed last year. However, this month, several groups including the Digital Freedom Project and the website Reddit filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of that law and the scientific basis for keeping children off platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.

In the United States, Meta faced lawsuits from attorneys general across multiple states over the alleged harmful impact of its platforms on children. As part of a settlement, Meta agreed to improve how it identifies minors. The states alleged that Meta's platforms encourage addictive behavior, fail to verify user ages, and allow adolescents to bypass parental controls. They also claimed the platforms inadequately safeguard against harmful content or intentionally amplify exploitative material.

In August, Meta agreed to pay 18 billion dollars to the states and implement several changes to how teenagers interact with its platforms. These changes can only be removed by parents or guardians. The new rules restrict under-18 users to two hours of daily use and enforce a nighttime curfew from midnight to 6am. Default settings will now restrict social comparison features and cosmetic procedure filters that alter a person's appearance.

Push notifications for teen accounts will be blocked between 8am and 3pm, a time when users are likely in school. The platform will encourage breaks by displaying prompts after 15 minutes of continuous usage, as well as when daily usage reaches 60 and 90 minutes. Parents and guardians will receive updates on account activities and be notified whenever their child messages an adult for the first time. Notifications will also be triggered if a teen searches for topics such as suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders.

Along with announcing the new automated age estimation, Meta called on other industry leaders to adopt similar practices. The company stated that because Instagram is just one of many apps used by teens, it is urging peers like TikTok and YouTube to implement the same safety measures to keep teenagers safe.