It’s an open secret that some teens circumvent social media platform age restrictions by simply giving the wrong birth date when they sign up.
Now Instagram will use artificial intelligence in order to identify those users and route them back into age-appropriate “teen accounts,” according to an Instagram blog post published Monday.
Instagram already uses AI to determine age, but the platform will begin testing the technology’s ability to proactively find teens on accounts with an adult birthday listed. Instagram will then place them in its teen account settings, which have a number of safety features.
Instagram will restrict teens from going Live, as Teen Accounts expand to Facebook and Messenger
Recently, Instagram began restricting teens under 16 from going live. It also now requires teens to obtain parental consent before they can turn off content moderation filters designed to blur nude images in direct messages.
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Though Instagram said it’s working to ensure the accuracy of its AI technology, it is giving users the option to change the restrictiveness of teen account settings should it make a mistake about their age.
Instagram also announced that it will begin sending notifications to parents who have an Instagram account about how they can discuss with their children why it’s important to provide their correct age to the platform.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, has been sued by plaintiffs, including the state of California, who argue that the company hasn’t sufficiently protected minors from harm, or warned them of potential dangers related to using Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram said that the platform has enrolled at least 54 million teens across the world into teen accounts. The vast majority of teens ages 13 through 15 opted to keep that setting, according to the company.
“The digital world continues to evolve and we have to evolve with it,” Instagram said in its blog post. “That’s why it’s important that we work together with parents to make sure as many teens as possible have the protective settings that come with Teen Accounts.”
