Meta announced it will begin using artificial intelligence to scan photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram for visual indicators that a user is under the age of 13. The system is designed to identify and remove underage accounts by analyzing cues such as a person’s height and bone structure.
Quick Facts
- AI will scan photos for age-related visual cues.
- The system analyzes height and bone structure.
- It is not a facial recognition technology.
How Meta’s New AI System Works
Meta clarified in a blog post that its new system is not a form of facial recognition. Instead, the AI is trained to look for general visual patterns to estimate a user’s age range. The company stressed that the technology does not identify specific individuals.
This visual analysis will be combined with Meta’s existing methods, which include scanning profiles for contextual clues like birthday celebrations or mentions of school grades in posts, comments, and bios. By layering these techniques, Meta aims to more effectively identify and remove accounts belonging to children under 13.
If the system flags an account as potentially underage, it will be deactivated. The user will then have to complete Meta’s age verification process to restore access and prevent permanent deletion. The visual analysis tool is currently active in a few countries, with a broader rollout planned.
Legal Pressure Mounts on Meta
The move follows increasing legal and regulatory scrutiny over child safety on social media platforms. Weeks before this announcement, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties for misleading consumers about platform safety and putting children at risk.
This case is one of several lawsuits Meta and other major tech companies are currently facing concerning their impact on younger users. In response to the New Mexico ruling, Meta threatened to cease its services in the state.
What This Means for MENA Users
While the initial rollout is selective, this technology will likely be deployed across the MENA region, where Facebook and Instagram have hundreds of millions of users, a significant portion of whom are young. For founders and tech professionals in the region, this signals a major operational shift by one of the world’s largest tech companies in response to global regulatory pressure.
The implementation raises important questions for the region regarding data privacy, algorithmic bias across diverse populations, and the technical challenges of accurately estimating age from visual data in different cultural contexts. Local startups in the digital identity and safety space may also see new opportunities emerge as platforms grapple with these complex verification issues.
Expanding Protections for Teen Accounts
Alongside the new AI system, Meta is expanding its “Teen Accounts” feature on Instagram to 27 EU countries and Brazil. This feature automatically places teen users into a more restrictive experience, limiting DMs to people they already follow and hiding potentially harmful comments.
The company also confirmed it will introduce this technology to Facebook for the first time, starting in the U.S. and followed by the U.K. and EU in June.
About Meta
Meta Platforms, Inc. is a multinational technology conglomerate based in Menlo Park, California. The company owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, among other subsidiaries. Its primary focus is on building technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses.
Source: TechCrunch
