Instagram has initiated testing to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) in determining whether users are being truthful about their age when registering for the app, as articulated by its parent company, Meta Platforms. For some time now, Meta has relied on AI to assess usersโ ages. However, with this new measure, the photo and video-sharing platform will โproactivelyโ track and identify accounts it believes belong to minors, notwithstanding the potentially false birthdates users might have registered with initially.
Should it ascertain an age misrepresentation, Instagram will automatically convert such an account to a teen account, which entails more stringent privacy and interaction settings compared to an adult account. Teen accounts are set to private by default, restricting private messaging so that teens can only receive messages from people they follow or are already in contact with. Additionally, Meta curtails exposure to โsensitive content,โ such as videos depicting physical altercations or promoting cosmetic surgeries. Teens will also be prompted if they engage with Instagram for over 60 minutes, and โsleep modeโ will activate to mute notifications and send automatic replies to direct messages from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Metaโs AI system learns to detect age-defining signals based on the nature of content the account interacts with, details provided on usersโ profiles, and the accountโs creation date. These advanced measures are being adopted amidst increasing scrutiny of social media platforms regarding their impact on young usersโ mental health and overall well-being. Indeed, many states are attempting to enforce age verification laws, though such efforts have encountered legal challenges.
Meta and other social media enterprises have advocated for app stores to take responsibility for age validation, responding to critiques that they fail to adequately secure their platforms for children and insufficiently verify that users under 13 are not accessing their services. Moreover, Instagram has committed to issuing alerts to parents with valuable insights on conducting dialogues with their teenagers about the importance of presenting accurate age information online.