Meta is deploying advanced AI tools across Instagram and Facebook to analyze visual cues and user interactions to identify and remove accounts belonging to children under age 13.

Key Points

• Meta’s AI system analyzes physical traits like height and bone structure, alongside text and social interactions, to estimate user age without using facial recognition.
• Accounts suspected of belonging to users under 13 will be suspended until the owner provides valid age verification or faces permanent deletion.
• The technology will automatically assign restrictive "teen accounts" with parental controls to users identified as being between 13 and 15 years old.
• The rollout is expanding to Facebook in the U.S. and Instagram in Brazil and 27 European Union countries following initial 2024 launches.
• These measures respond to European Commission findings that Meta violated the Digital Services Act by failing to effectively prevent underage access to its platforms.

Why it Matters

These updates represent a significant shift in how social media platforms handle regulatory pressure regarding child safety and digital age verification. By moving beyond self-reported data, Meta aims to mitigate legal risks while setting a new industry standard for automated content and access restrictions.