Instagram will now take help of AI to check if kids are lying about their age on app

Meta is enhancing age verification on Instagram with an AI tool called 'adult classifier' to protect young users, especially teens, from inappropriate content.

In Short

• Instagram will use AI to detect if users lie about their age
• Teens caught under 18 will be switched to stricter privacy settings automatically
• Meta faces pressure to protect teens amid mental health concerns and legal challenges

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is ramping up efforts to make sure young users can’t lie about their age to access its social media platform. Instagram, in particular, has been under scrutiny for its effects on teenage mental health, and Meta is responding with a new AI-powered tool called the “adult classifier” to verify users’ real ages more accurately.

This tool uses artificial intelligence to analyze users’ online behaviors and other profile information to estimate their age. It considers factors like who follows the user, what kind of content they interact with, and even comments like birthday posts from friends. If the classifier detects that a user is likely under 18, it will automatically switch them to a “teen account.” These accounts have more restricted privacy settings, such as limiting who can message the user and filtering the type of content they can see.

Currently, Instagram already asks users to report their age when they sign up, but kids often lie to gain access to adult content or avoid parental restrictions. By early next year, the adult classifier will start scanning for such users who may have fibbed about their age. All users found to be under 18 will be placed in teen accounts, but 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to adjust these settings if they want more flexibility, while younger teens will need parental permission.

Meta’s move is part of a broader effort to protect teens from potentially harmful content on social media, especially as it faces legal challenges and criticism from state attorneys general and parents who say the platform contributes to a mental health crisis among young people. The company also faced backlash when a whistleblower, Frances Haugen, revealed internal documents showing Instagram’s possible negative impacts on teenage girls.

Instagram’s stricter age-verification approach may help curb the number of underage users lying about their age, but Meta acknowledges it won’t solve the issue entirely. Teens who try to bypass age restrictions by adjusting their profile information will have to verify their age with ID or through a video selfie with a third-party age-check service.

Some experts suggest that app stores like Google Play and Apple could take on more responsibility for age verification, though these companies argue it could compromise user data privacy. In the meantime, Meta hopes its new AI tools will help create a safer environment for teens on Instagram.