Meta Overhauls Age Verification on Instagram and Facebook with New AI Visual Analysis
The new system targets users under 13 without using face recognition and plans to extend restrictions to teenagers aged 13 to 15.
Meta has announced a significant overhaul of its age-verification systems for Instagram and Facebook, introducing an AI-driven tool designed to analyse images and videos for visual cues to identify and remove accounts managed by users under the age of 13. This initiative directly responds to a European Commission ruling that found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for failing to effectively prevent children under 13 from accessing its platforms.
The new AI system explicitly does not use face recognition to identify specific individuals; instead, it analyses contextual physical traits like height and bone structure within shared imagery. This approach follows a notable case where a 12-year-old successfully bypassed previous checks by drawing a fake mustache with an eyebrow pencil, which the older system misinterpreted as a sign of adulthood.
If, based on these elements, Meta suspects that an account is managed by a child under 13, it will be suspended for revalidation or permanently deleted if the user fails to prove their age. The company states that by combining these visual insights with an analysis of text and interactions, it can significantly increase the number of underage accounts it identifies and removes.
Furthermore, Meta plans to expand this technology to detect users aged 13 to 15, automatically assigning them restricted teen accounts with parental controls enabled by default. This type of profile incorporates content restrictions to provide a safer environment for this age group, addressing concerns raised by surveys indicating that many children believe circumventing age controls is very easy.
While age-verification tech was implemented in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK in 2024, the new measures will now extend to Instagram accounts in Brazil and 27 European Union countries. Facebook users in the US will also be subject to these practices for the first time, with plans to expand to the EU and UK shortly.
In response to the regulatory pressure, Meta is advocating for legislation that forces app stores to verify user ages and establish parental approval systems. The company aims to create a centralized, consistent, and privacy-preserving point of age assurance that apps can access, arguing that no single company will be able to solve the challenge of effective and timely age verification in digital environments alone.
