Meta Expands AI Age Detection on Instagram Globally, Placing Millions More Teens in Restricted Accounts

Meta is expanding AI-powered age detection on Instagram to users worldwide, a move it says will place millions more teenagers into its restricted Teen Accounts.

The system disregards the date of birth users enter and instead uses images to estimate their actual age. Users identified as teenagers are moved into Teen Accounts, which carry additional restrictions. Meta began testing AI age estimation on Instagram in 2022 and has refined it since; it launched Teen Accounts in several countries and regions earlier this year.

Meta has not said how quickly the global rollout will proceed, or when specific countries — including those in Africa — will be covered.

Explaining it to parents

In the US, Meta will show adults a video explaining how age detection works and what mandatory Teen Accounts involve.

In Australia, which is moving to tighten rules on young people’s social media use, Meta also uses Apple’s age-range signal for some users.

Threads next

Meta plans to bring the same AI age detection to Threads before the end of the year.

The expansion follows a series of youth-safety measures from Meta, including parental alerts and controls on teen interactions with AI chatbots, introduced amid sustained external pressure over teenagers’ wellbeing on its platforms.