Meta is continuing to refine its social media platforms to provide young users with age-appropriate experiences. After announcing new features for Teen Accounts on Facebook and Instagram, the company revealed that it is updating its age detection system. To be more specific, it is implementing AI to weed out underage users and ensure the right protections are in place for teens.
Essentially, Meta is using AI to analyse the user’s entire profile to find hints of their actual age. Some examples of context clues include birthday celebrations and mentions of school grades. According to the company, the system will comb through multiple areas, such as posts, comments, captions, as well as bios. Aside from user profiles, Meta is rolling out the tech to other parts of its apps, like Instagram Reels, Instagram Live, and Facebook Groups.
Furthermore, this system is not limited to just text-based data. In fact, Meta is incorporating visual analysis to scan photos and videos. That said, the company asserted that this is not facial recognition as the software is not identifying specific individuals. Instead, it is examining details like height and bone structure to estimate a user’s age.
If the system determines that the user is below 13, Meta will deactivate the account. As such, the user will have to submit proof of their age to prevent account deletion. Furthermore, the company is simplifying the process for reporting underage accounts and introducing AI models to help review these reports.
Aside from identifying and removing underage accounts, Meta is working to ensure teen users have the appropriate protections. In fact, it has a system that identifies teenagers and places them into Teen Accounts, even when they list an adult birthday. Worth noting that this feature initially launched on Instagram in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK. For now, Meta is working to bring the tech to Europe and Brazil. Other than that, a Facebook rollout will begin in the US and expand globally throughout the year.
Finally, the company revealed that it is sending notifications to parents in the US to inform them on how to check and confirm their children’s ages on the apps.
(Source: Meta)
