Meta will use AI to spot under-13 users on Facebook and Instagram

In short: Meta says it will use AI to look for visual and written clues that suggest a Facebook or Instagram user is under 13.

What happened

Meta announced it will start using AI to scan photos and videos for signs that a user may be under 13. The company said it will look for general visual clues, such as a person’s height or bone structure.

Meta said this is not facial recognition. Facial recognition is when a system tries to identify a specific person, like matching a face to a name. Meta says its system is more like guessing someone’s age from a snapshot, without trying to figure out exactly who they are.

The system is already running in select countries, and Meta says it is working toward a broader rollout. Meta also said it will combine these visual signals with other clues from a profile, like posts about birthdays or mentions of school grades, across things like captions, comments, and bios.

If Meta’s system decides someone may be underage, it will deactivate the account. The user will then need to prove their age through Meta’s age verification process to keep the account from being deleted.

Meta also said it is expanding its “Teen Accounts” settings on Instagram to 27 countries in the EU and to Brazil. It plans to bring similar teen protections to Facebook in the US, then the UK and EU in June.

Why it matters

For families, this could mean fewer younger children slipping onto platforms that are not meant for them. For everyone else, it raises questions about mistakes, like deactivating the wrong account, and about how much scanning of photos and posts people will accept as part of online safety.

Source: TechCrunch AI