The meta is strengthening has improved its age verification mechanisms with an artificial intelligence system that analyzes images and videos on Instagram and Facebook for “visual cues” such as height and bone structure to identify and remove accounts of users under 13. The company announced the move amid a wave of cases in which hundreds of children managed to bypass access restrictions on social networks, even with uncomplicated tricks such as drawing mustaches.
In press releaseMeta explained that it is implementing several tools that identify contextual indicators that allow it to estimate a person’s age. This process involves analyzing posts, comments, biographies and descriptions, with particular emphasis on references to school years or birthday celebrations – elements that can provide clues about the true age of the person managing the account.
These tools complement automatic analysis techniques that aim to detect physical characteristics from photos shared on Meta’s social media platforms. These include characteristics such as height and bone structure. Meta disclaims that this system is not a facial recognition system because it is not intended to identify specific people in photos or videos. Instead, the company notes that “by combining these visual insights with our text and interaction analysis, we can significantly increase the number of minor accounts we identify and remove.”
If, based on these elements, Meta suspects that the account is being operated by a child under the age of 13, the account will be suspended. To regain access, the user will need to re-verify their age using the procedures established by the company; otherwise the profile will be permanently deleted.
Meta also announced that it will expand the scope of its technology to detect users between the ages of 13 and 15 and automatically assign them teen accounts. This profile type has content restrictions and parental controls enabled by default to provide a safer environment for this age group.
Meta began rolling out age verification technology in 2024 to Instagram users in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Now the mechanism will be extended to Instagram accounts in Brazil and 27 European Union countries. Additionally, these practices will be applied to Facebook users in the US for the first time, with plans to expand to the EU and UK next month.
Looking like an adult
The novel measures were interpreted as a response to: preliminary ruling recently issued by the European Commission, which found that the company led by Mark Zuckerberg was violating the Digital Services Act by allegedly failing to effectively prevent children under 13 from using its platforms. The EU body found that the company lacked sufficiently effective mechanisms to block such access and that current systems for identifying and suspending accounts below the age threshold were insufficient.
This criticism is confirmed by the results of a survey conducted by the non-profit organization Internet Matters. After surveying almost 1,300 children and their parents in the UK, the study found that around a third of children had successfully bypassed government restrictions on accessing social networking sites. In some cases, the methods used are particularly striking.
The report titled “Internet Safety Act: Are children safe on the Internet?” showed that 46% of students aged 9-16 believe that bypassing age controls is very simple, but in total only 32% admitted to breaking the rules.