Meta is trying a new approach to stop children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram. The company is now looking at people’s physical features, including height and bone structure, to guess how old they are.
This is not the same as facial recognition. Meta says its systems do not try to figure out who someone is. Instead, the AI looks at general body cues in photos and videos. It combines that with other clues from posts, like when someone talks about a birthday or what grade they are in at school.
The social media giant is testing this feature in a few countries for now. If the system thinks someone is under 13, it shuts down their account. That person then has to send proof that they are 13 or older. If they cannot, Meta deletes everything in the account.
Meta is also getting tougher on users between 13 and 15 years old. The company has built tools that spot these users and automatically move them into special teen accounts. Those accounts have parental controls and extra safety features. This system is now available on Instagram in Brazil and in 27 EU countries. Meta is also bringing it to Facebook, starting in the US. The EU and UK will get it next month.
All of this comes as governments put more pressure on Meta to protect young people. Last week, the European Commission shared early results from an investigation into Facebook and Instagram. Officials said Meta may have broken the Digital Services Act by not doing enough to keep kids off its platforms.
Source: About.fb.com