Meta has announced that this month it will begin a broader rollout on Instagram of age checks using artificial intelligence, a measure the company presents as protection for teenagers, but one that also raises questions about how platforms determine, monitor and categorize users.
How the new system will work
According to the company, the technology will use artificial intelligence to identify users suspected of being under 18, even when they have declared a false date of birth to present themselves as adults.
The assessment is made through analysis of behavior and content published on the platform. If the system concludes that an account belongs to a teenager, it will automatically be placed under a regime with special protections.
What restrictions are planned for teenagers
According to Meta’s official version, these measures include limiting the people who can contact minors, filtering the content shown to them and imposing restrictions on app usage time.
The company also says it will set reminders to stop using Instagram after 60 minutes, mute notifications during the night and introduce daily usage limits.
The new package also includes restrictions on certain content, as well as on features that may encourage social comparison, including likes and reactions to other users’ posts.
A bigger role for parents
Meta says parents will be able to receive notifications about their children’s activity on the platform.
According to the announcement, they will also be informed when teenagers communicate with an adult for the first time, an element the company presents as an added safety measure for young users.
The decision comes amid criticism and lawsuits
This expansion of age checks comes at a time when Meta is facing criticism and multiple lawsuits over the impact of social networks on children and teenagers.
Child development experts have long raised concerns about excessive use of platforms, social pressure and minors’ exposure to harmful content.
After Instagram, the company has said the system will also be extended to Facebook and Threads, while also calling on other platforms, such as TikTok and YouTube, to adopt similar measures.
Meta’s move is presented as an effort to strengthen protections for minors, but it remains to be seen how accurate AI verification will be and how transparent the criteria will be by which users are classified as teenagers.
At its core, the company is seeking to show that it is responding to public and legal pressure, while control over age and online behavior is increasingly passing into the hands of algorithms.