Meta says its new age verification efforts are designed to protect young users while avoiding facial recognition or direct identity checks. The company plans to analyse photos, videos, posts, and account activity to detect accounts that may belong to children under 13, even when a false birth date was used during registration. Instead of identifying specific individuals, the system reviews broader visual and behavioural indicators. These include apparent height, facial bone structure, birthday mentions, references to school grades, and other online patterns that could suggest a user is younger than allowed. Meta argues that the approach improves child safety while limiting the collection of sensitive personal identification data for users.
Meta also said that the updated system is a part of their wider push to improve online safety for younger users. For years, platforms like Instagram and Facebook have relied mainly on self-reported ages during account creation. That system has often failed because children can easily enter a fake birth year to access restricted platforms.
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The company now plans to use artificial intelligence to scan account activity and shared content for signs that a user may be underage. According to Meta, the technology reviews posts, comments, bios, and captions for clues linked to age. It also studies images and videos for physical indicators that may suggest someone is a child.
Meta stressed that the technology is not designed to identify people through facial recognition. Instead, it combines visual signals with behavioural patterns and text analysis to improve its ability to detect accounts operated by children under 13.
If the company suspects an account belongs to someone below the minimum age limit, the profile will be suspended. Users will then need to verify their age through Meta’s official process. Accounts that fail verification could be permanently removed.
Meta also announced plans to automatically move users aged 13 to 15 into teen accounts with built-in safety settings and parental controls enabled by default.
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The company first introduced parts of its age verification system on Instagram in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom in 2024. It is now expanding the technology to Brazil and 27 European Union countries. Facebook users in the US will also begin seeing the new checks, with more regions expected to follow soon.