Meta has announced a worldwide expansion of Instagram‘s artificial intelligence system to identify underage users who registered with falsified birthdates, shifting millions of accounts into restricted settings regardless of the ages entered on their profiles.
Announced on November 9, the global rollout applies automated restrictions to protect minors from certain content, contact types, and excessive use. The technology analyzes behavioral patterns and visual cues—such as interaction history, birthday messages, and general characteristics like height and bone structure in photos and videos—to estimate user ages. Meta clarified that the system relies on approximate age estimation rather than facial recognition.
Under the updated system, users aged 13 to 17 are automatically transitioned into Cuentas para Adolescentes, which are available across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. These profiles feature built-in privacy by default, restrict direct messages from unknown accounts, and limit accessible content. Users under 16 cannot alter these configurations without parental or guardian authorization, and parents can oversee accounts and establish time limits.
When the system suspects an account belongs to someone under the platform’s minimum age of 13, it deactivates the profile until the user proves their age.
Anyone modifying their registered birthdate from a minor to an adult must complete a verification process using an identity document or facial age estimation via the provider Yoti. In the United States, Meta began notifying parents in November through Instagram to explain how age estimation works and how to request corrections.
Alongside its proprietary AI, Meta has incorporated external measures, such as utilizing Apple’s age range signal in Australia based on device and app store configuration. However, Meta noted that this mechanism remains inconsistent because app stores and developers can choose whether to share the data, prompting the company to advocate for laws requiring age verification and parental consent directly within app stores.
The global deployment follows legal developments in the United States, including an August agreement between Meta and nearly all state and territory attorneys general to resolve lawsuits concerning platform harms to teenagers, as well as an October settlement in a Los Angeles trial regarding addiction and mental health claims. Meta plans to deploy similar age-estimation technology in Threads globally during 2026, following its implementation in Facebook.
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