Meta announced Monday that its artificial intelligence system for estimating user ages will now operate globally on Instagram, a move designed to pull millions more teenagers into the platform’s dedicated teen accounts. These accounts automatically restrict who can contact young users, limit the type of content they see, and cap how long they can spend on the app each day.
The expansion matters because it targets teens who signed up with adult birthdates, a common workaround that previously let them bypass safety controls. Meta says the AI analyzes signals across a user’s activity to flag accounts likely belonging to minors, then applies the stricter protections regardless of the listed birth year.
Legal pressure has accelerated the timeline. The company faces multiple lawsuits alleging its platforms cause harm to young users, and regulators in several countries have demanded stronger age assurance.
Starting this month, parents in the United States will receive in-app notifications explaining how the new age-based safeguards work. In Australia, Meta has added a second verification layer using Apple’s age-range signals, which share a broad age bracket without revealing exact birthdates.
The same technology will continue rolling out on Facebook and is slated to arrive on Threads worldwide before the end of 2026. Meta says the goal is consistent protection across its family of apps, not just a single platform fix.
