Updated AI technology will help identify underage users and automatically apply protective settings

Meta announced new steps to expand protections for teen users across its platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. The update, shared via a company blog post, reflects Meta’s ongoing efforts to create safer, more age-appropriate experiences for younger users and to support parental involvement in their digital lives.

Scaling Up the Teen Accounts Experience

Since the initial launch of Instagram Teen Accounts last year, Meta has introduced a range of built-in safeguards. These include limitations on who can contact teen users, restrictions on sensitive content, and tools to help manage screen time. Teen users are automatically placed into these protective settings, and those under the age of 16 require parental or guardian approval to make changes.

As of April 2025, the company reports more than 54 million active Teen Accounts globally, with an impressive 97% of teens aged 13–15 choosing to remain under these default protections. The experience has since been extended to Facebook and Messenger, broadening the reach of these initiatives across Meta’s ecosystem.

Positive Feedback from Families

According to Meta, both teens and parents have responded favorably to these changes. In surveys conducted by the company, over 90% of parents said the Teen Account features were helpful in supporting their children’s online experiences.

Despite these encouraging numbers, Meta acknowledges the ongoing challenges parents face in navigating the digital world with their teens. “The internet can be overwhelming,” the company notes, emphasizing its commitment to continue evolving its tools in collaboration with parents and experts.

A New Call to Action for Parents

Beginning this week, Meta will roll out in-app notifications to parents on Instagram, encouraging discussions around digital safety and the importance of accurately representing age online. These notifications will include expert advice, such as guidance from Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, a pediatric psychologist, on how to initiate age-related conversations with teens.

This effort is part of a broader push to ensure that teens are not only protected by default settings, but also understand the importance of truthful age disclosure in online environments.

AI-Driven Age Detection Now in Testing

To further strengthen its teen safety efforts, Meta is testing a new AI system in the United States designed to detect accounts that may belong to teens—even if the listed birthdate suggests otherwise. Once identified, these accounts will be automatically placed in Teen Account settings.

While Meta has previously used artificial intelligence to estimate user age, this marks a more proactive use of the technology. The company states that it is taking care to ensure accuracy in identifying teens and is providing users with the option to update their settings if errors occur.

More details about this AI approach and Meta’s broader age verification initiatives can be found here.

Looking Ahead

Meta acknowledges that determining the age of users online remains a complex, industry-wide challenge. The company emphasizes that while AI and in-app protections play a critical role, parental verification and age confirmation at the app store level remain among the most effective tools for ensuring safe, age-appropriate digital environments.