Meta is broadening its AI-based age-estimation system beyond the US, EU and Brazil, aiming to automatically shift users estimated to be 13-17 years old into restricted teen accounts, regardless of the birth date entered at signup. Teen accounts limit messaging from strangers, default to private profiles, cap daily app time and add parental controls. Meta plans to notify US parents via Instagram about how teens get placed into these accounts, and will extend similar AI age-detection to Facebook and later Threads, while using Apple's age-range signal as an added check in Australia.
engadget.com
· 2026-11-09
Meta is expanding its AI-based age estimation technology on Instagram worldwide to detect teen users even if they list an adult birthday, placing them into stricter Teen Account protections. The system analyzes profile content like captions, comments and photos for contextual and visual cues, including school mentions and physical appearance. Meta says it will extend similar tools to Facebook and later Threads this year.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-11-09
Meta is rolling out its AI-based age estimation system globally to catch teens who lie about their age and automatically place them into Instagram's Teen Account protections. The company says US parents will start receiving in-feed notifications this month, linking to a video and an article explaining the age-assurance approach.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-11-09
Meta is rolling out its AI-powered age estimation technology globally after testing it in the US, EU and Brazil, aiming to automatically place more teens into restrictive Teen Accounts. The system analyzes signals like interactions, birthday messages, and photo/video cues such as height and bone structure to flag underage users, and now also uses Apple's age-range signal in Australia. Parents in the US will get notifications next month explaining how age estimation works and how to correct their teen's listed age.
theverge.com
· 2026-11-09
Ofcom reports that roughly 150,000 16- and 17-year-olds in the UK lack a passport or driving licence, which may be required as a fallback for age verification under the country's planned ban on under-16 social media access. The regulator outlined four 'highly effective' verification methods, including photo ID checks, bank age confirmation, digital ID services and facial age estimation, but said official ID would likely be needed as a backstop since facial estimation can be inaccurate by several years. The ban on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube is set to take effect next spring.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-30
Ofcom has published guidance on how social media platforms could check whether users are over 16, ahead of the UK's social media ban taking effect in March. The regulator recommends photo ID matching, banking-based checks, facial age estimation and digital ID services as 'highly effective' options, alongside traditional ID documents. Implementation details are left to individual platforms, and the proposals still require government approval.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-29
iOS 27.2 introduces a new age-verification option that lets users confirm they are an adult by taking a selfie, which an on-device and Private Cloud Compute age-estimation model evaluates. Apple says the feature supplements existing methods like ID scans or credit card checks, and applies in regions including Australia, Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and Texas in the US. The company states the selfie is never accessible to anyone, including Apple, and is deleted immediately after age confirmation.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-27
Discord has started automatically classifying users as Adult or Teen using signals like account age, server membership and activity levels, rather than requiring facial scans or ID checks upfront. Users who can't be confidently classified fall into an 'Unconfirmed' category and must verify their age via options such as credit card, app store accounts, Google Wallet, AgeKey, ID scan or video selfie. Discord says it won't read messages or calls to estimate age, won't display age groups publicly, and will require vendors to delete data after verification.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-22
Anthropic has made its consumer chatbot Claude unavailable to anyone under 18, requiring users to confirm their age when creating an account. The company says it uses detection systems to flag possible underage users and will suspend accounts showing such signals until identity is verified through Yoti, a third-party age-verification service.
support.claude.com
· 2026-09-11
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