Facebook, Instagram Roll Out New AI Age Checks

Expanding its existing Teen Account protections, Meta has unveiled its latest AI-powered age assurance technology designed to proactively identify teenagers on Facebook and Instagram.

The core of this update is the use of advanced artificial intelligence to look beyond the birthdate a user provides during sign-up. Meta’s system now analyzes a variety of signals across its platforms. These include contextual clues such as mentions of school grades in bios or birthday celebrations in posts and comments.

The AI is now trained to look for visual cues in photos and videos. By analyzing general patterns such as bone structure and height, the system can estimate whether a user is likely a teenager. Meta has also clarified that this is not facial recognition. The technology does not identify specific individuals but rather categorizes them into general age ranges.

When the system suspects a user is under 18, even if they’ve claimed to be an adult, it will automatically move them into a Teen Account. These accounts come with built-in restrictions, including private profile defaults, strict messaging limits, and reduced exposure to sensitive content.

If a user is flagged as potentially being underage, Meta may deactivate the account or require the user to verify their real age to regain access. Verification can be done through two main methods i.e. uploading a government-issued ID or using facial age estimation technology provided by Yoti.

While these tools were initially tested in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, they are now going global. Meta is expanding its AI-based teen detection to 27 countries within the European Union, as well as Brazil.

Furthermore, for the first time, these age assurance measures will apply to Facebook users in the U.S., with a rollout in the UK and EU expected to follow by June.