BENGALURU, Nov 10 - Meta Platforms said yesterday it would expand its artificial intelligence (AI) age-estimation technology globally to bring millions more teenagers on Instagram under its Teen Account protections, even if they have registered with birth dates indicating they are adults, as the company faces lawsuits alleging its platforms harm young users.
Teen Accounts, available on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, include built-in safeguards that automatically restrict who can contact teenagers, the content they can view and the amount of time they spend on the apps.
Parents in the US will begin receiving Instagram notifications this month explaining how teenagers are placed under age-appropriate protections, Meta said.
In Australia, the company has begun using age-range information provided by Apple as an additional method to help determine users' ages.
Meta said it was also continuing to roll out its age-estimation technology on Facebook and would begin introducing similar technology globally on Threads later this year.
The expansion comes as Meta faces multiple lawsuits over allegations that its social media platforms harm teenagers.
In August, the company reached settlements worth up to US$18 billion (approximately RM73 billion) with nearly every US state and territory to resolve lawsuits brought by attorneys general over alleged harm to young users.
Under the settlements, Meta agreed to improve its methods of identifying teenage users and children under 13.
The company also reached a settlement with a teenage plaintiff last month in a Los Angeles trial involving allegations that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive, contributing to mental health problems and an eating disorder.