Meta
Signing up for a social media account with a fake birthday isn’t exactly new. Teens have done it for years, often to bypass age restrictions or access features they wouldn’t otherwise be allowed to use. Meta knows this is a problem, and it’s now taking its efforts to identify these accounts a step further.
The company has announced that it’s expanding its AI-powered age detection technology globally on Instagram. The idea is to identify accounts that likely belong to teenagers, even when they’ve entered an adult birthday, and automatically apply the platform’s existing safety protections. Meta says the expansion could bring these protections to millions of additional teenagers worldwide.
Instagram won’t just take your birthday at face value
Instagram already has Teen Accounts, which restrict who can contact younger users, what content they can see, and how much time they spend on the platform. Facebook and Messenger also offer similar protections. The problem, however, is that these safeguards depend on users being honest about their age. A teenager who signs up claiming to be 20 could potentially avoid restrictions meant for someone under 18.
Shimul Sood / Digital Trends
That’s where Meta’s AI technology comes in.
