The Investor
09 Nov 2026, 19:12
Meta Expands AI Age Estimation Globally to Strengthen Teen Account Protections
Meta announced a global expansion of its AI-powered age-estimation technology on Instagram, aiming to place millions more teenagers into Teen Account protections even when users provide an adult birth date.
Teen Accounts automatically restrict who can contact younger users, the content they can access and the amount of time they spend on Meta’s apps. The company said its age-estimation technology identifies accounts it suspects belong to teenagers and applies these protections proactively.
Meta is also continuing the rollout of the technology on Facebook and plans to begin introducing similar age-detection capabilities globally on Threads later this year.
In Australia, Meta has started using Apple’s age-range signal as an additional method of determining whether users meet age requirements. The system allows Apple to provide developers with an age range established when a parent configures a teenager’s device, potentially reducing the need for individual platforms to conduct separate age checks.
Meta said it supports broader legislation requiring app stores to verify age and obtain parental consent, arguing that a single device-based age signal could provide more consistent and privacy-preserving protections across different applications.
The expansion also follows Meta’s agreement with 52 bipartisan U.S. attorneys general to strengthen technology used to identify both children under 13 and teenagers aged 13 to 17. The company said it is investing further in age-assurance technology and called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar approaches.
Meta announced a global expansion of its AI-powered age-estimation technology on Instagram, aiming to place millions more teenagers into Teen Account protections even when users provide an adult birth date.
Teen Accounts automatically restrict who can contact younger users, the content they can access and the amount of time they spend on Meta’s apps. The company said its age-estimation technology identifies accounts it suspects belong to teenagers and applies these protections proactively.
Meta is also continuing the rollout of the technology on Facebook and plans to begin introducing similar age-detection capabilities globally on Threads later this year.
In Australia, Meta has started using Apple’s age-range signal as an additional method of determining whether users meet age requirements. The system allows Apple to provide developers with an age range established when a parent configures a teenager’s device, potentially reducing the need for individual platforms to conduct separate age checks.
Meta said it supports broader legislation requiring app stores to verify age and obtain parental consent, arguing that a single device-based age signal could provide more consistent and privacy-preserving protections across different applications.
The expansion also follows Meta’s agreement with 52 bipartisan U.S. attorneys general to strengthen technology used to identify both children under 13 and teenagers aged 13 to 17. The company said it is investing further in age-assurance technology and called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar approaches.
