According to a new report from Bloomberg, Meta will use artificial intelligence to predict the age of its Instagram users and automatically transfer those under 18 to a teen account if it believes they are lying about their age. In response to international protests about the impact of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook on teenagers’ mental health, Meta introduced teen accounts in September. Teen accounts, for children aged 13 to 17, have built-in limits on who can contact them and what content they can […]
According to a new Bloomberg report, Meta will use artificial intelligence to predict the age of its Instagram users and automatically transfer those under 18 to a teen account if it believes they are lying about their age.
In the wake of international protests about the impact of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook on the mental health of teenagers, Meta introduced accounts for teenagers in September.
Teen accounts, for children aged 13 to 17, have built-in limits on who can contact them and what content they can see. They are automatically set to hide potentially offensive comments and message requests.
How the AI that will classify teenagers and adults works
Secure accounts for teenagers will only work if those under 18 voluntarily choose to use them or are honest about their age, which is why Meta has devised a way to enforce the appropriate accounts.
The patented computer tool that Meta has developed, called the “adult classifier,” will come into play next year and is designed to classify users into two groups: under or over 18 years old.
According to Allison Hartnet, director of youth product management and social impact at Meta, the tool will scan a user’s profile, the content they interact with, and their follower list to determine their age. Even innocuous “happy birthday” messages can be used to determine a user’s true age.
Since teen accounts are new and currently voluntary, there is a large base of teenage users on Instagram who use regular adult accounts. Meta plans to start moving teenagers who have voluntarily provided their age information to the new teen accounts very soon and introduce the “adult classifier” early next year.
This is Meta’s latest attempt to address some of the public outcry over the impact of social media on teenagers. In 2021, a report published in the Wall Street Journal showed that Meta’s reports indicated it knew Instagram was harmful to teenagers’ mental health, especially for teenage girls.
Author: Chema Carvajal Sarabia
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