Instagram has upgraded its search for under age users with a new American pilot that relies on artificial intelligence to spot children who signed up with a false date of birth.
The company also wants parents to double‑check ages at home and keep protective settings switched on. That change builds on last year’s rollout of Teen Accounts, a system that already protects young users across the globe and now stretches across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.
What Is The New AI Test?
From today the platform will apply machine learning signals such as friend networks, language style and liked posts to work out whether an account that claims to belong to an adult actually looks and behaves like it belongs to a teenager. Engineers say they will update the model week by week as they gather feedback.
If the system thinks the user is younger than sixteen it will put that profile into Teen Account settings at once. That setting limits who can send messages, how long the app runs each day and which topics appear in search. This action removes the burden from parents who may not notice when a child tweaks privacy controls.
A pop‑up will explain the change and give the holder a chance to prove an adult age if the guess is wrong, keeping the final decision in human hands. Anyone who wants to contest the switch can upload identification or request a manual check, and Meta says it will warn the family if rules were applied in error.
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`How Many Young Users Already Benefit?
The company says at least fifty‑four million teenage users across the globe already sit inside the safer design, and the figure rises every day as newer accounts are created.
97% of 13 to 15 year olds kept that protection turned on after the first look, an internal tally shows. Meta says the high retention rate shows young people do not feel locked out of features that friends enjoy.
The company brought the same setup to Facebook and Messenger in March, letting carers see daily time on screen and change message settings from a single dashboard. One parent login can now watch three apps, cutting the need to learn separate controls.
New rules also bar every user under 16 from broadcasting live video. Teens must seek parental consent before disabling filters that blur nude images in direct messages, closing off a channel often used for harassment.
How Will Parents Take Part?
Instagram is sending a notice to each account marked as a parent from today, complete with a link that walks through the age‑checking process.
The message explains why exact birth dates matter online, invites families to talk through the issue together and recommends that adults sit with the child while reviewing profile details.
Pediatric psychologist Dr Ann‑Louise Lockhart helped write plain language tips that show how to ask a teen about the year they entered, what warning signs to watch for, and how to react calmly if the date does not add up.
Meta says it understands that guardians are busy and may lack time to look over every setting, so the platform wants its software to pick up the slack while still giving adults the last word. The firm also plans to analyse parent feedback from the new notice and adjust the wording over time.
Legal action gives the project extra urgency. California and other plaintiffs accuse the company of failing to keep minors safe on Instagram and Facebook, claiming harm ranging from eating disorder content to bullying. A higher take up of Teen Accounts could help Meta defend its record when those cases reach trial.