META
Meta has confirmed it’s using AI to spot teens who lie about their age to get around Instagram’s safety features.
If an account is flagged as belonging to someone underage, even if they claim otherwise, it will now be automatically moved into a Teen Account.
Teen Accounts come with built-in protections.
These limit who can contact the user, filter out inappropriate content, and block setting changes without parental approval for those under 16.
Instagram has used AI to estimate user age for a while, but this update pushes things further by enforcing teen-specific experiences, even if the listed age says otherwise.
Here’s what you should know:
Meta has enrolled 54 million teens into Teen Accounts so far
97% of users aged 13–15 have stayed in these protected profiles
Parental notifications will now include guidance on age accuracy
Digital mum said “you’re grounded”
To do this, Instagram may analyse birthday messages or take cues from user reports. If an error is made, users can request to update their settings.
Meta says its goal is to ensure teens are protected by default, and it's also rolling out tools to help parents guide their children online.
This comes shortly after Meta launched Teen Accounts across Facebook and Messenger, too.
AI really caught you slipping with that “happy sweet 16” caption.