What is changing?
Meta announced it is expanding worldwide the AI technology it uses to place teens into age-appropriate protections. According to the company, this means millions of teens who set up accounts with an adult birthday will also be placed in automatic protections.
Teen Accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger automatically limit who can contact teens, what content they see and how much time they spend on the apps.
How age detection works
Meta uses AI to find people it suspects are teens even when they use an adult birthday. The company says more teens have been placed in protections since the technology first launched and that it is encouraged by the results. The rollout continues on Facebook, while similar technology is set to launch globally on Threads later this year.
Apple signal and calls for regulation
In Australia, Meta has begun using Apple's age-range signal as an additional method. When a parent sets up a phone for their teen, the app store can confirm the user's age range and pass it to developers when apps are downloaded.
Meta argues that if this signal remains optional for app stores and developers, teens will receive inconsistent protections across the apps they use. The company reiterates its support for requiring age verification and parental consent at the app store level.
A step for parents
In the US, parents will begin seeing an in-feed video on Instagram this month explaining Meta's age assurance approach. The video links to an article by internet safety advocate Larry Magid. Meta says the move builds on commitments under its agreement with 52 bipartisan attorneys general.
