Tech giant Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday it plans to tap artificial intelligence to check the ages of its young users with a view to removing children under 13.
The AI-supported software will analyze not only text-based profile data, but also take into account the context of images, comments and videos (reels) on its platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, according to the company.
Where the software detects balloons or an 11th birthday party cake, the account will be rated as a child's and deleted on confirmation, the company said.
Those affected will be able to contest decisions and provide proof of age through identity documents.
Meta will also use AI to identify teenagers up to the age of 17 who have misrepresented themselves as adult, evaluating behavioral patterns, including the accounts followed. Where a fake age is detected, the profiles will be switched to teen accounts.
The European Commission recently accused Meta of failing to adequately protect young people. Brussels demands that Instagram and Facebook also implement the minimum age of 13, failing which it will impose a large fine.
Over the longer term, the commission is requiring all social media platforms to use an EU app for age verification. Meta instead advocates central age verification when setting up a smartphone at the operating system or app store level, rather than leaving checking to each separate app.
Discussions are ongoing in EU countries such as Austria, France and Spain on a complete social media ban for young people from a certain age, with 15 or 16 under consideration. Australia has imposed a ban of this kind.
The European Commission has thus far rejected an overall ban in favor of stricter technical verification.
