Instagram tries using AI to determine if teens are pretending to be adults | AP News

Meta is implementing AI on Instagram to proactively identify and convert accounts suspected of belonging to underage users, even if they initially provided a false birthdate. These accounts will automatically be converted to teen accounts, which have default privacy settings and restrictions on direct messages and sensitive content. Teen accounts will also receive usage notifications and a "sleep mode" to encourage responsible platform use. Meta trains its AI using various signals, including content interaction, profile information, and account creation date, to determine a user's age. This initiative comes amid increasing scrutiny of social media's impact on youth mental health and growing legislative efforts to enforce age verification. Instagram will also provide resources to parents to discuss the importance of providing accurate age information online with their teens.