Instagram says it is testing an AI tool that detects teen users pretending to be adults
Instagram is starting to test the use of AI in order to help detect whether a user is a teenager or an adult.
The Meta-owned social media platform announced on Monday, April 21, that its AI technology will proactively find suspected teen users on the platform and place those accounts under Instagram Teen Accounts settings.
Even Instagram accounts that list an adult birthday will be scrutinised using the AI tool, the company said. The AI-driven classification tool is currently being tested out only in the US.
In a blog post, Instagram said that while it has been using AI to determine the age of users for some time now, using it in this manner was a 'big change'. The heightened measures come amid increased scrutiny on social media platforms and their adverse impact on the mental health and well-being of younger users. Several states in the US have passed laws requiring platforms to verify the age of users.
Meanwhile, Australia became the first country last year to impose a nationwide ban on social media for under-16 users.
How will it work?
In a 2022 blog post, Meta revealed that it has developed an AI model to specifically act as an adult classifier. This model is capable of determining the account holder's age as it has reportedly been trained to look for various signals such as the type of content the account interacts with as well as when the account was created and other profile information.
'We're taking steps to ensure our technology is accurate and that we are correctly placing teens we identify into protective, age-appropriate settings, but in case we make a mistake, we're giving people the option to change their settings,' Instagram said.
If an Instagram user is flagged by the AI tool as misrepresenting their age, the account will automatically become an Instagram Teen Account.
Besides automated detection of underage users, Instagram said it will notify parents with information about why it is important for their teens to provide their correct age online.
'Understanding the age of people online is an industry-wide challenge. We'll continue our efforts to help ensure teens are placed in age-appropriate online experiences, like Teen Accounts, but the most effective way to understand age is by obtaining parental approval and verifying age on the app store,' the company said.
What are Instagram Teen Accounts?
Launched last year, Instagram Teen Accounts have built-in protections that limit who can contact teens, the content they see, and the time they spend online. 'Teens are automatically placed in these protective settings, and teens under 16 need parental or guardian approval to make changes,' the company said.
An Instagram Teen Account is private by default. Under this setting, users can only receive direct messages from people that they already follow. Additionally, 'sensitive content' such as videos of people fighting or those promoting cosmetic procedures are restricted, as per the company.
If a user is on the platform for more than 60 minutes per day, they will receive a notification reminding them to close the app. Furthermore, 'sleep mode' will be enabled from 10pm to 7am where notifications are muted and auto-replies sent to DMs.
On Monday, Instagram said it has enrolled at least 54 million teens into Teen Accounts globally so far. Only users above the age of 13 are eligible to create an Instagram account. The platform said that over 97 per cent of teens aged between 13 to 15 have elected to keep these protections in place.
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