A few months back, Meta said it would start looking for teenagers pretending to be adults in early 2025. This announcement came after the company launched Teen Accounts on Instagram in September.
AI Tool for Identification
According to a report by Bloomberg, Meta plans to implement an AI tool called an "adult classifier" to spot teens on Instagram. This tool will analyze users' activity and their profile details to find potential teen accounts.
Allison Hartnett, who is the director of product management for youth and social impact at Meta, shared with Bloomberg that the tool will categorize users into two groups - either over or under 18 years. The technology can review a person's profile, their follower list, and the type of content they interact with to determine their age.
Automatic Migration to Teen Accounts
Users who are under 18 will automatically switch to teen accounts, no matter what age they list on their profile. Those who are 16 or 17 will have the ability to manage their privacy settings; however, users younger than 16 will need permission from a parent to make any changes.
Meta is also making it more difficult for users to misrepresent their age on the platform. It will flag any suspicious actions, such as creating accounts with different birth dates but using the same email. Additionally, Meta can access a phone's unique ID to understand who is behind the profile.
Age Verification Process
For teens wanting to alter their age on the platform, they will need to provide official identification. Options include a driver’s license or a video selfie that will be evaluated by a third-party service called Yoti. Meta assures users that their images will be deleted from their servers after the verification process.
In conclusion, Instagram's new measures aim to provide a safer environment for its younger users. By implementing these changes, Meta hopes to ensure that the platform is used responsibly.
