Meta to expand AI-powered age estimation tech globally

In a blog article, Meta has announced it is expanding the rollout of its artificial intelligence (AI) age-estimation technology globally. The AI-powered feature was initially launched on Instagram in May to identify underage users and automatically place them into restricted Teen Accounts.

The systems analyse user profile content, including bios, posts, comments, captions, and references to birthdays or school grades, alongside visual indicators from photos and videos, such as height and facial bone structure, to detect teenagers who register using adult birthdates. Teen Account settings enforce stricter privacy defaults, limiting direct messages (DMs) to established connections, filtering harmful remarks, and automatically setting accounts to private.

The software is now expanding across Facebook, with an international launch for Threads planned later this year. The move follows Meta's $18 billion settlement in August to resolve lawsuits brought by a coalition of US state attorneys general (AGs), which accused its platforms of harming younger audiences. 

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