Meta announced on Tuesday that it will begin using artificial intelligence to scan photos and videos for visual indicators to determine if users are under the age of 13. The company intends to use these findings to remove underage accounts from Facebook and Instagram, according to a report by TechCrunch.
The new system identifies physical traits such as a person’s height or bone structure to estimate age. Meta is currently rolling out the visual analysis system in select countries, with plans for a broader global release in the future.
In a company blog post, Meta clarified that the technology does not function as a facial recognition tool.
“We want to be clear: this is not facial recognition,” Meta explained. “Our AI looks at general themes and visual cues, for example height or bone structure, to estimate someone’s general age; it does not identify the specific person in the image.”
Expanding detection methods
The company plans to combine these visual findings with text-based analysis to increase the detection rate of underage accounts. Meta is already using AI to scan entire profiles for contextual clues, such as mentions of school grades or birthday celebrations. These signals are monitored across posts, comments, bios, and captions.
Meta intends to expand this monitoring technology to other areas of its ecosystem, including Facebook Groups and Instagram Live.
When the system identifies a user as potentially underage, Meta will deactivate the associated account. To prevent permanent deletion, the user must then complete the company's official age verification process to prove they meet the age requirements.
