Meta is expanding Instagram’s artificial intelligence (AI) age checks worldwide, automatically applying Teen Account protections when it suspects users are teenagers, even if they registered with adult birthdays.
Announcing the expansion on Monday, the company said it expected millions more teenagers to receive age-appropriate settings. Its technology assesses account activity and other signals rather than relying solely on the birthday a user supplies.
Teen Accounts limit who can contact younger users, restrict the content they encounter and provide controls over time spent on Meta’s apps.
Teenagers under 16 need parental permission to make certain built-in protections less restrictive. Separate content rules require parental approval before under-18s can leave Instagram’s updated 13+ content setting.
Meta’s earlier explanation of its age-assurance technology describes checks for contextual clues across posts, comments, biographies and captions. Examples include birthday references and mentions of school grades.
The company also uses visual analysis in selected markets. Meta says this detects general patterns suggesting that someone is underage; it does not identify individuals through facial recognition.
Applying Teen Account settings differs from removing accounts belonging to children below the platform’s minimum age. Meta generally excludes under-13s, while local requirements can impose a higher threshold.
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In Australia, Instagram faces restrictions requiring platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. Meta has begun using Apple’s age-range signal there as another way to assess eligibility.
Parents can opt for Apple to confirm a child’s age range and share that information when the child downloads an app.
Meanwhile, US parents will begin receiving Instagram guidance this month explaining the age-detection process and how to help ensure their teenager supplies accurate information.
Meta linked the expansion to its agreement with 52 US attorneys general covering stronger protections for younger users. The company’s announcement of that agreement specified a payment of approximately $18 billion.
The rollout continues on Facebook. Meta plans to begin introducing similar technology worldwide on Threads later this year and has urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt comparable practices.
