Meta is expanding the artificial intelligence technology it uses to identify teenagers on Instagram who have not correctly disclosed their age to users worldwide. The rollout, announced Sunday, will automatically place millions more teens into Instagram Teen Account protections after launching in the United States, European Union, and Brazil last year. The expansion follows a $17.1 billion lawsuit settlement in August in which Meta agreed to strengthen its age assurance practices and impose stricter restrictions on teen users.
The age detection tools search for signals indicating whether Instagram users are under 18 years old, including the profiles and content they interact with, birthday messages they receive, and visual cues from uploaded photos and videos such as height and bone structure. Meta said it has also started using Apple's age-range signal as an additional detection method in Australia.
The age assurance system removes Instagram users believed to be under 13, the minimum age required for Meta social accounts, and automatically places users between 13 and 17 under more restrictive Teen Accounts, even when they signed up using a fake adult birthday. Teen Accounts are private by default, limit what content teens can see, and prevent strangers from sending direct messages. Parents and guardians can supervise Teen Accounts to set time limits and monitor usage, and users 16 or younger cannot adjust Teen Account settings without parental permission.
Meta said parents in the United States will start receiving a notification on Instagram next month explaining the age estimation process and how to ensure their teen's age is accurately reflected on the platform. Meta has not announced whether automatic age assurance checks on Facebook, which rolled out to U.S. accounts in May, will expand to other regions.