Meta expands Instagram’s AI age-guessing tech globally
Meta says it will use its AI technology to look for clues about people it suspects to be teenagers — even if they use an adult birthday.
Meta has announced plans to roll out its AI-powered age estimation technology globally on Instagram. The aim is to identify more teenagers and place them under Teen Account protections, a move driven by numerous lawsuits accusing the social media giant of harming teens.
The AI technology works by analyzing various aspects of users' profiles, including birthday celebrations or references to school grades, to determine their age. It also considers visual cues from photos and videos, such as a person's height or bone structure.
In addition to Instagram, Meta plans to extend this technology to Facebook and later to Threads later in the year. This expansion comes as Meta has settled lawsuits worth up to $18 billion with nearly every U.S. jurisdiction, agreeing to improve its teen identification processes.
As part of these settlements, Meta has invested in stronger technology to catch accounts belonging to children under 13. The company is also enhancing its methods for identifying accounts that may belong to teens between 13 and 17, even if they provide an adult birthday.
Parents in the U.S. will soon receive an in-feed video on Instagram detailing Meta's approach to ensuring teens are placed in age-appropriate protections.
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