Meta’s AI age-check goes global: Can it protect teens?

Meta has rolled out artificial intelligence (AI)-powered age-estimation technology worldwide in an effort to better detect teenage users who signed up for its social media platforms with an adult’s birth date.

The world’s largest social media company announced the change on Monday, saying that millions more young people worldwide would be placed in its Teen Accounts following the implementation of the new technology amid concerns that its platforms have failed to protect teenagers.

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Teen Accounts have more restrictions and protections designed to provide a safer user experience. They keep the account private by default, limit content types, and prevent strangers from sending direct messages (DMs) to teenage account holders. Parents can also supervise Teen Accounts.

Experts, however, doubt whether the latest step will protect children from online harm.

Here’s what we know about the latest tool and why Meta has deployed it:

Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads, said on Monday that it had started using its AI age-estimation system on Instagram accounts around the world.

“Since first introducing this technology, we’ve been placing more teens in age-appropriate protections and are encouraged by the results. Based on that success, today we’re expanding this technology globally,” the company said.

The system is designed to identify teenagers who signed up with a fake birth date in order to use a regular account. They are then switched to a restricted Teen Account or removed from the platform.

Meta is also rolling out the new age-detection tool for Facebook and plans to implement a similar system worldwide for Threads, another of its social media apps, before the end of the year.