Meta Deploys AI to Detect Underage Users, Expanding Teen Account Protections Globally

Key facts

• Meta uses AI to analyze profiles for contextual clues like birthday celebrations and school grades to detect underage accounts.
• Visual analysis scans photos and videos for height or bone structure to estimate age, without facial recognition.
• delivers higher accuracy and faster resolutions than human review alone.
• Meta has enrolled hundreds of millions of teens into Teen Accounts since 2024.
• The technology to proactively place suspected teens into Teen Accounts expands to 27 EU countries and Brazil on Instagram.
• Facebook in the US will get the proactive Teen Account placement for the first time, followed by the UK and EU in June.
• Meta will send notifications to US parents on Facebook and Instagram this month to check and confirm their teens' ages.

Meta Ramps Up AI-Powered Age Detection to Protect Minors

Meta is significantly expanding its use of artificial intelligence to identify underage users on its platforms, deploying advanced visual analysis and contextual scanning to ensure teens are placed in age-appropriate experiences. The move comes as regulators in the European Union, Brazil, and the United States intensify scrutiny of child safety practices under laws such as the EU's Digital Services Act and Brazil's ECA Digital. The company announced Tuesday that it is rolling out technology that proactively finds accounts it suspects belong to teens — even if those users list an adult birthday — and automatically enrolls them into Teen Accounts, which come with built-in protections limiting who can contact them and what content they see. The expansion covers Instagram in 27 EU countries and Brazil, and for the first time, Facebook in the US, with the UK and EU to follow in June.

How the AI Detection System Works

Meta's underage detection system combines multiple AI techniques to identify accounts likely belonging to users under 13, the minimum age for Instagram and Facebook. The technology analyzes entire profiles for contextual clues — such as birthday celebrations, mentions of school grades, or other age-related signals — across posts, comments, bios, and captions. It also scans photos and videos for visual cues like height or bone structure to estimate a person's general age, though the company stresses this is not facial recognition and does not identify specific individuals. If the system determines an account may be underage, it deactivates the account and requires the holder to provide proof of age through Meta's verification process to prevent deletion. The company is also expanding these detection capabilities to additional parts of its apps, including Instagram Reels, Instagram Live, and Facebook Groups.

AI-Driven Reporting and Circumvention Measures

Meta is simplifying the process for users to report suspected underage accounts, both within its apps and through its more effectively, the company has supplemented human review teams with AI models that apply consistent evaluation criteria to every report. In testing, this AI-driven review has delivered higher accuracy and faster resolutions than human review alone, ensuring accounts are addressed with greater speed and reliability. The company is also strengthening its circumvention measures to prevent users it suspects are underage from creating new accounts. While many of these AI improvements are available worldwide, certain advanced features — such as visual analysis — are currently limited to select countries as Meta works toward a broader rollout.

Teen Account Enrollment and Parental Involvement

Since 2024, Meta has enrolled hundreds of millions of teens on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger into Teen Accounts, which automatically apply a 13+ content setting and restrict who can contact them. The company previously launched technology to proactively place suspected teens into these protections on Instagram in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, placing millions of accounts into age-appropriate settings. This month, Meta will begin sending notifications to parents in the US on Facebook and Instagram with information on how to check and confirm their teens' ages. The notifications will include tips on having constructive conversations about the importance of providing the correct age online. Parents globally can access these tools and resources through Meta's Family Center.

Regulatory Pressure and Global Expansion

The expansion of Meta's underage detection technology comes as regulators worldwide move forward with implementing child safety rulebooks. The EU's Digital Services Act and Brazil's ECA Digital both impose strict requirements on platforms to protect minors, and Meta's latest measures appear designed to preempt further regulatory action. The company has faced legal scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions, including a probe by Ireland into its recommender systems and a $3.7 billion lawsuit from New Mexico over alleged harms to children. Meta's proactive placement of suspected teens into Teen Accounts will expand on Instagram globally throughout the year, the company said. For Facebook, the rollout begins in the US, followed by the UK and EU in June, marking the first time the social network will use this technology to enforce age-appropriate protections.

Outlook: Balancing Safety and Privacy

Meta's deployment of AI to detect underage users represents a significant escalation in its child safety efforts, but it also raises questions about privacy and the accuracy of age estimation technologies. The company has emphasized that its visual analysis does not constitute facial recognition and that it looks only at general themes and visual cues. However, critics may argue that scanning photos and videos for age-related features still encroaches on user privacy. As Meta expands these tools globally, it will need to navigate varying regulatory landscapes and public expectations. The success of the initiative will depend on its ability to accurately identify minors without falsely flagging adults, and to maintain user trust while enforcing age restrictions. With regulators watching closely, Meta's AI-driven approach could set a precedent for how social media platforms handle underage users in the future.

The bottom line

• Meta is using AI to analyze profiles, posts, and visual content to detect underage users, even if they list an adult birthday.
• The technology proactively places suspected teens into Teen Accounts with built-in protections, expanding to 27 EU countries and Brazil on Instagram.
• Facebook in the US will get proactive Teen Account placement for the first time, followed by the UK and EU in June.
• is faster and more accurate than human review, Meta says.
• Parents in the US will receive notifications this month to help confirm their teens' ages on Facebook and Instagram.
• The expansion comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny under the EU's Digital Services Act and Brazil's ECA Digital.