Meta to Start Identifying Underage Users with AI

Meta is stepping up efforts to monitor teen accounts on Instagram (owned by Meta) by using artificial intelligence to detect when users may have lied about their age.

According to The Verge, if the system suspects that a user has provided a false age, it can automatically apply restrictions designed for minors.

Since 2024, Instagram has used AI to analyze behavioral cues and contextual clues — for example, birthday wishes indicating someone has just turned 16 — as well as patterns of content interaction. By default, accounts belonging to users under 18 are set to private, have messaging restrictions with strangers, and are excluded from certain content.

Now, Meta will more actively flag suspicious age information and move such accounts into a “safety mode.” Users will still be able to manually adjust their settings if the system makes a mistake.

These measures come in response to increasing regulatory pressure — particularly from the EU, which is reviewing whether Meta is doing enough to protect minors online. Other tech giants, including Google and Snap, are also under scrutiny amid broader debates around responsibility for digital safety among teens.