Meta is enhancing its methods to prevent users under the age of 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram. The company is employing artificial intelligence to analyze contextual clues, such as mentions of school grades or birthday celebrations in user profiles, posts, and captions. Additionally, Meta will use visual analysis techniques to scan photos and videos for age indicators, although it emphasized that this is not facial recognition technology.
“We want to be clear: this is not facial recognition,” Meta stated in a blog post. “Our AI looks at general themes and visual cues, for example height or bone structure, to estimate someone’s general age; it does not identify the specific person in the image.” By combining these visual insights with text and interaction analysis, Meta aims to significantly improve its ability to identify and remove underage accounts.
This visual analysis is currently being implemented “in select countries” as part of a broader future rollout. If Meta suspects that a user is under 13, it will deactivate their account, requiring the user to provide proof of age (13 or older) to reactivate it; otherwise, the account will be deleted.
Furthermore, Meta is expanding systems designed to detect users aged 13 to 15. Users in this age range will be placed in teen accounts, which feature parental controls and other protections. The technology will first be applied on Instagram in Brazil and in 27 European Union countries. Meta’s practices are also coming to Facebook for the first time, starting in the US before expanding to the EU and UK next month. In addition, WhatsApp has introduced parent-managed accounts to facilitate safer use by children under 13.
Meta is facing increased regulatory pressure to protect younger users and prevent underage access to its platforms. Last week, the European Commission released preliminary findings indicating that Meta may be violating the Digital Services Act by not adequately preventing children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram. Meta will have an opportunity to review these findings and address the identified issues.
