Meta's Instagram using AI to identify teens, force them into age-appropriate accounts

Meta Platforms on Monday said it is testing new AI technology that can identify Instagram users 16 years and under, and then automatically enroll them in age-appropriate Teen Accounts.

Instagram Teen Accounts, which was launched last September, had already been automatically switching teen users into the protective accounts, but only for the teens who signed up for their accounts using their real ages.

But now, Meta said its new AI technology “will proactively find accounts we suspect belong to teens, even if the account lists an adult birthday.”

Rolling out Monday in beta testing for users in the United States, Meta said it has been “using artificial intelligence to help determine age ranges for some time, but leveraging it in this way is a big change.”

“In case we make a mistake, we’re giving people the option to change their settings,” Meta said about the predictive and protective technology.

Teen users on Meta Platforms – including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp – are classified as being 13 to 17 years old, with adults listed as anyone 18 years old and over. (Threads allows users to sign up at age 12.)

Meta noted that people aren’t always accurate (or honest), and the company has seen in practice that misrepresenting age is a common problem across the industry.

In fact, a February report by the Australian eSafety Commission found that 80% of children under 13 regularly bypass age restriction policies on social media platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.

“Today, we’re beginning to expand Teen Accounts to @facebook and @messenger and rolling out additional features on @instagram to help keep teens safe,” Meta posted on X.

Today, we’re beginning to expand Teen Accounts to @facebook and @messenger and rolling out additional features on @instagram to help keep teens safe.https://t.co/k3Kdzwp0bD

undefined Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) April 8, 2025

New push to involve parents

Meta, which expanded Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger earlier this month, said it has enrolled at least 54 million teens in the protective accounts globally since last fall, with 97% of users aged 13-15 electing to remain under these safeguards.

Also starting Monday, Meta said it will begin sending notifications to parents on Instagram with tips on how to talk to their teens about the importance of providing the correct age when signing up for social media accounts.

Additionally, Meta is urging parents to check and confirm their teens’ ages on all of its apps, ensuring that their kids are having “age-appropriate online experiences.”

"Understanding the age of people online is an industry-wide challenge. The most effective way to understand age is by obtaining parental approval and verifying age on the App Store,” Meta said.

Teen Accounts have built-in protections that not only limit the time kids spend online and the content they are exposed to, but also restrict who can contact them through direct messages (DM). Any nude images detected inside a DM are automatically blurred, and teen account users are also banned from going live on the platforms.

Meta said 90% of parents surveyed approved of the Teen Account protections and found them helpful.

Teen Accounts for Facebook and Messenger were launched in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada on April 8th, with more regions to be added in the coming months, Meta said.

You can check out Cybernews' comprehensive list of the most popular social media apps and their age restriction policies here.