Meta is expanding the use of AI to detect if an Instagram user is a teen, and if so, override certain account settings, automatically putting them in a more restrictive mode
This comes as concerns grow over predators targeting children via social media, and disagreements between tech firms over who is responsible for keeping kids safe online.
Instagram already restricted settings for teens, but this new move means the platform will proactively look for accounts with an adult birthday and adjust settings for users it suspects are children.
The company said it recognises the possibility of errors and will let users revert the settings.
This development follows the EU’s investigation into whether Meta does enough to protect young users, and a lawsuit prompted by concerns over child predators using the platform.