Meta announces global roll out of its age estimation system
Meta's new age assurance system will roll out to all platforms globally, starting with Instagram.
Meta announced on Monday that it will roll out its age-estimation technology globally, expanding the protections for teens on its platforms. The company began using artificial intelligence in April 2025 to identify teens who had inaccurately entered an adult age when creating their accounts. Once identified, these teens are automatically placed in Meta's safest settings, which limit inappropriate content.
This initiative comes after Meta faced criticism for its ability to protect young users. In March, the company lost a lawsuit in New Mexico, which alleged that Meta's design features helped pedophiles exploit children on its platforms, leading to a $950 billion penalty. In August, Meta settled with state attorneys general for $12 billion, agreeing to implement new platform design features and commit to industry-standard child safety measures.
Despite these measures, Meta's Teen Accounts have faced criticism, and the company has called on competitors TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube to adopt the same practices. The move is part of a broader trend of governments worldwide cracking down on social media access for teens, with some countries implementing complete bans for users under 16.
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