Meta shared more details about what she’s doing to keep children under 13 off Facebook and Instagram. In addition to using artificial intelligence systems to look for contextual clues (like mentions of a school grade or birthday party in profiles, posts and captions), the company says it uses visual analysis techniques. It will analyze photos and videos to look for additional indicators about a person’s age.
“We want to be clear: this is not about facial recognition,” Meta wrote in a blog post. “Our AI looks at general themes and visual cues, such as height or bone structure, to estimate a person’s general age; it does not identify the specific person in the image. By combining this visual information with our analysis of text and interactions, we can significantly increase the number of minor accounts we identify and remove.”
Meta says it is using visual analytics “in select countries as we work toward a broader rollout.” If the company suspects that a user is under 13, it will deactivate their account. The user will then have to provide proof that they are 13 years or older to be able to re-enter. Otherwise, Meta will delete his account.
Meanwhile, Meta is expanding its use of systems designed to detect users ages 13 to 15 so it can automatically place them in teen accounts, which have parental controls and other protections. It will begin using this technology on Instagram in Brazil and in 27 countries in the European Union. The group is also bringing these practices to Facebook for the first time, starting in the US before expanding to the EU and UK next month. As for WhatsApp, Meta recently introduced parent-managed accounts to make it safer for children under 13 to use this app.
The company faces pressure from a number of jurisdictions to protect young users and ensure that children under 13 are not on Facebook and Instagram. Last week, the European Commission published the preliminary findings of an investigation into the two platforms. He said Meta could be breaching the Digital Services Act by not doing enough to keep children away from Facebook and Instagram. The company will have the opportunity to review the findings and attempt to remedy any issues reported by investigators.