Instagram Expands AI Age Checks Worldwide to Put More Teens Under Safety Protections
Meta says its AI age-estimation tools will put more Instagram users into Teen Accounts, even when they entered an adult birthday. U.S. parents will receive notices this month.
Instagram is expanding its AI age-estimation technology worldwide to identify users it suspects are teenagers and place them under Teen Account protections, even if they signed up with an adult birthday.
Meta announced the expansion Monday, saying it expects millions more teens to receive the built-in safeguards. Teen Accounts limit who can contact young users, the content they see and their time on the apps. The company says the technology is meant to catch accounts whose stated birth dates do not reflect their users' ages.
The rollout is continuing on Facebook, while similar technology is due to begin launching globally on Threads later this year. The expansion follows Meta's agreement with 52 attorneys general from U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia to strengthen how it identifies teenagers and children under 13.
Parents in the United States will begin receiving Instagram notices this month explaining the age protections and how they can help ensure their child's age is listed accurately. The notices will link to an explanation of the company's approach to age checks.
In Australia, Meta has also begun using Apple's age-range signal as an additional check. When parents choose to let the app store share a child's age range, the information can help developers determine whether the child meets an app's age requirement. The company says participation remains optional.
The announcement describes an expansion of Meta's existing tools, not a guarantee that every underage account will be detected. The photo shows Instagram on a smartphone in 2016, not the new age-estimation interface.