Meta's AI Will Now Guess Your Age On Instagram... Even If You Say You're An Adult

Meta's AI Will Now Guess Your Age On Instagram... Even If You Say You're An Adult Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times ,

Meta Platforms is expanding its AI-powered age-estimation technology to identify Instagram users suspected of being teenagers, even if they registered with an adult birthdate , and automatically apply stricter safety settings to their accounts.

Meta said in a Nov. 9 statement that the expansion will mean millions more teenagers worldwide will receive Teen Account protections , offering built-in safeguards that automatically limit the content they see, time spent on the app, and who can contact them.

We're expanding the AI technology we use to help ensure teens are in the right experiences for their age globally. https://t.co/G97qdcqJOO

Starting this month, U.S. parents on Instagram will receive a notification explaining how Meta will apply the age-appropriate protections for teens and how they can help ensure that their teenage child is logged in with the correct age, Meta said.

Meta uses AI and other signals to estimate a user's age, including information from profiles, comments, posts, captions, and bios, such as references to school grades or birthdays, Larry Magid, CEO of nonprofit ConnectSafely, wrote in a Nov. 6 post on Meta's website.

The company can also analyze photo and video visual patterns to determine a person's age.

"This visual analysis is not facial recognition. The idea is to look for general visual characteristics that suggest someone who is underage that may help estimate an age range, not to identify the person," Magid said. "Meta deactivates suspected under-13 accounts and requires proof of age to prevent deletion."

Teens aged 13 to 15 require parental permission to make some of their account protections less restrictive. Those aged 16 and 17 will have more freedom to update certain settings but will still face restrictions, such as content limitations, that cannot be changed without parental permission.

Meta said it is continuing to roll out the technology on Facebook and later this year will begin launching similar measures globally on Threads .

The company said it has also started using Apple's age-range signal in Australia as an additional method to help determine users' ages.

"When a parent sets up a smartphone for their teen, they have the option for the app store to confirm the age of the person using the device and assign them an age range," the company said. "Then, each time the teen downloads an app, Apple passes that age range to the developer - Meta, for example - confirming whether the teen meets the app's age requirement."

The expansion of protections for teenage Instagram users comes after Meta reached a roughly $18.1 billion settlement with multiple U.S. jurisdictions in August over allegations of endangering children .

The agreement settles a series of lawsuits brought against Meta, accusing the company of intentionally designing its platforms to be addictive, knowingly exposing children to mental harms, and misleading people about the safety of its offerings.

As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to institute age-verification protocols and content controls , as well as time limits for children.

Meta agreed to pay $17.1 billion to settle lawsuits brought by 47 U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and $1 billion to settle a lawsuit from Texas.

Meta recently filed a lawsuit seeking to block California from enforcing a new state law that aims to protect children under 16 from the negative effects of social media exposure.

Assembly Bill 1709 prohibits online platforms from offering underage children features deemed to be psychologically exploitative that could result in compulsive use. This includes sending videos through autoplay features and offering personal recommendations. Platforms are obligated to delete the accounts of children with such features.

Meta, Google, and TikTok filed separate lawsuits on Nov. 4, seeking to stop the bill's implementation and alleging that the measure violates First Amendment free speech protections .

Advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) welcomed the bill in a Sept. 1 statement, saying it strongly supports social media regulations aimed at keeping children safe online.

"With AB 1709, California takes the right approach to protecting kids online," said Megan Iorio, director of EPIC's platform governance and accountability program.

"Design features that manipulate kids are the problem. Prohibiting these features, as AB 1709 does, provides a solution that is effective and does not infringe on kids' rights to access digital spaces."