Meta expands Instagram’s AI age-guessing tech globally

Meta is expanding its AI-powered age estimation technology on Instagram globally to identify teenagers and place them under its Teen Account protections, even if they use an adult birthday. The technology uses AI to analyze profiles for contextual clues, visual cues from photos and videos, and other signals to determine a user's age. The expansion comes as Meta faces lawsuits alleging its platforms harm teens and follows a settlement with US states and territories worth up to $18 billion. Meta also plans to roll out the technology on Facebook and Threads later this year. Teen Accounts have stricter protections, such as restricted direct messaging and private accounts by default.