Meta is expanding its AI technology globally to place millions more teens on Instagram in Teen Accounts protections. The move aims to help ensure teens receive age-appropriate experiences, even if they misrepresent their age.

Meta said it has worked for more than a decade with experts to build tools and resources for teens and families. Teen Accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger give teens built-in protections. These protections automatically limit who can contact them, the content they see, and their time on the apps.

Meta noted that these protections depend on knowing a user’s age. It described this as an industry-wide challenge. Some teens may misrepresent their age online to access experiences they are not old enough to use.

To address this, Meta uses AI technology to find people it suspects to be teens. This applies even when they use an adult birthday. These users are then placed in Teen Account protections. Since introducing the technology, Meta has placed more teens in age-appropriate protections. Based on those results, the company is now expanding it worldwide.

As a result, millions more teens who use Instagram will receive these built-in protections. Meta said parents can expect proactive efforts to place their teens in age-appropriate protections, no matter where they live. The company is also continuing the rollout on Facebook. Later this year, it will begin launching similar technology globally on Threads.

The expansion builds on commitments in Meta’s recent agreement with 52 bipartisan attorneys general. Under that agreement, Meta will strengthen how it identifies teens and children under 13 on its apps.

Meta is also engaging parents. This month, parents in the United States will begin to see an in-feed video on Instagram. The video explains how Meta places teens in age-appropriate protections. It also explains how parents can help make sure their teen’s age is accurate.

The video links to an article by Larry Magid, internet safety advocate and President and CEO of ConnectSafely. The article details Meta’s multi-layered age assurance approach. This includes keeping children under 13 off its platforms and providing age-appropriate experiences for teens. It also covers ways parents can partner with Meta so teens provide the correct age online. The article is available to parents worldwide.

In Australia, Meta has begun using Apple’s age-range signal as another method to understand age. The process works in a few steps. A parent sets up a smartphone for their teen. They can choose to have the app store confirm the age of the person using the device and assign an age range. Each time the teen downloads an app, Apple passes that age range to the developer. This confirms whether the teen meets the app’s age requirement.

Meta said it is using this signal voluntarily. However, it noted that collection and sharing remain optional for app stores. Use also remains optional for developers. As a result, teens will receive inconsistent protections across the apps they use.

Meta said it has long supported legislation that requires age verification and parental consent at the app store level. In its view, one verified signal from a device, shared consistently with all apps, is more effective and privacy-preserving. Developers could then use their own age estimates as a backstop. These estimates could help correct mistakes and feed them back to the app store.

Meta also pointed to the wider regulatory landscape. Many countries have introduced new laws on teen safety online. According to Meta, many of these laws do not explain how companies should determine a user’s age. Some require invasive age checks for everyone. Others offer no guidance at all. Meta said companies are left to determine age without unnecessarily collecting sensitive data, such as government IDs.

As part of its agreement with the attorneys general, Meta is investing in stronger technology. This will help catch accounts that may belong to children under 13. It is also strengthening technology that identifies accounts that may belong to teens aged 13 to 17. These accounts will be placed in teen experiences, even if they give an adult birthday.

Meta added that Instagram is only one of many apps teens use. It called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same practices. The company said it will continue its work to keep teens in age-appropriate experiences, including through Teen Accounts.

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