Instagram to Use AI to Check Age Restriction

Instagram announced it would use AI to check the ages of teenage users across the US. The move should ensure that the young audience is not bypassing safeguards to restrict access to the social media site.

AI will make sure teenagers are using age-appropriate accounts instead of accessing adult ones by using fake birthdays. In a blog, Instagram explained that while AI had been used to determine age ranges for some time, the fresh measure will proactively enroll younger users into restricted Teen Accounts if they are suspected of using fake birthdates.

Instagram stated it is taking steps to ensure its technology is accurate and it is correctly placing teens into Teen Accounts, but there are user options to change settings in the event of errors. The platform explained it would start sending notifications to parents with information on how they can talk to teenagers about the importance of providing the correct age online.

Instagram began registering users aged less than 16 years old to Teen Accounts in 2024. On 8 April, Meta Platforms extended Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger. The social media giant stated it enrolled at least 54 million teens into Teen Accounts so far and 97% of users aged 13 to 15 years old choose to remain in the protected accounts.