Meta tightens age verification through teen face scanning on Instagram, Facebook

Meta Platforms is introducing a new artificial intelligence-powered system that will analyze faces in photos and videos to estimate the ages of teenage users on Facebook and Instagram. 

Meta will use AI-powered facial analysis on Facebook and Instagram to estimate teen users’ ages, aiming to strengthen online safety measures as regulators in Europe, Brazil, and the United States increase pressure on social media platforms.

The company has assured that the tool is designed to identify underage users more accurately. It will also ensure that teenagers between 13 and 18 receive age-appropriate content recommendations as per the safety settings on its platforms.

The move comes as regulators across Europe, Brazil, and the United States push social media companies to tighten protections for children and teenagers online.

Meta explained that it doesn’t use facial recognition technology for its purpose and that the technology is not capable of recognizing individuals.

On the contrary, Meta uses visible indicators of a user's age to determine whether the person is under 13 or a teenager.

The tech giant uses artificial intelligence algorithms to estimate a person's age based on behavioral and textual inputs, such as posts, comments, captions, bios, and activity on their profiles.

Meta conceded that some inputs may be missed using the above techniques, or that people may be deceptive.

Additionally, with image and video analysis added, Meta believes it can improve the overall accuracy of age estimation in its systems for Facebook and Instagram.