Meta to use AI for detecting underage users on Instagram
Meta is working on an artificial intelligence (AI) system to flag underage users on Instagram. The move comes amid increasing concerns over the platform's effect on the mental health of young users. The AI tool, dubbed "adult classifier," will divide users into two categories: those above and below 18 years of age. Once the tool identifies users under 18 years of age, it will apply stricter privacy settings on their accounts.
How will the 'adult classifier' work?
The "adult classifier" will look into a user's account data to figure out which age group they belong to, Meta's Director of Product Management for Youth and Social Impact Allison Hartnett said. The system will review a user's profile, follower list, and content interactions. It can even analyze "happy birthday" posts by friends to guess a user's age. However, Meta hasn't revealed the accuracy rate of this tool yet.
New privacy measures for underage users
Based on the AI tool's findings, users suspected to be under 18 will be automatically assigned to "teen accounts," no matter what age they have declared on their profile. These teen accounts, introduced by Instagram in September, come with stricter default privacy settings. The company plans to implement the "adult classifier" early next year to enforce these new rules more effectively.
A step toward safer online environment
While all users under 18 will be automatically assigned to teen accounts, those aged 16 or 17 will have the option to modify the stricter privacy settings. However, anyone younger than 16 will need parental consent to disable these settings. Meta's move has been applauded by critics who believed the company wasn't doing enough to protect young users online.
Legal challenges over teen mental health issues
Meta is already facing a lawsuit from a number of state attorneys general, who accuse the company of knowingly addicting kids to social media, fueling a teen mental health crisis. The company has also been accused by parents of causing their teens' deaths due to harmful content or conversations on Meta's platforms. These allegations have further increased the pressure on Meta to improve its age verification and protect young users.
Age verification process and future plans
Meta intends to flag teens trying to create a new account with the same email but a different birthday. The company can also use a phone's unique device ID to guess who is behind a new profile. Teens wanting to manually increase their listed age will have to provide formal identification or send in a video-selfie to Yoti, an external service that estimates age based on facial features.
