By Michaela Gordoni
Instagram will roll out an AI update to protect teens in Canada and Australia.
The tool will flag any underage users and automatically switch them to a restricted teen account, even if they have an adult birthdate, Android Central reported.
The restricted account filters inappropriate content and reduces contact with certain accounts. It gives parents the option to monitor who their kid talks to, set usage time limits and block access during certain hours.
“The digital world continues to evolve and we have to evolve with it,” the company said when it launched Teen Accounts last year. “That’s why it’s important that we work together with parents to make sure as many teens as possible have the protective settings that come with Teen Accounts.”
If the system accidentally flags a real adult, the user can revert to a normal account via settings. There, they can submit a selfie, verified by third-party facial recognition tech Yoti or send a copy of their ID.
Related: Facebook, Instagram Users’ Posts Helped Train Meta’s AI Bot
“Understanding the age of people online is an industry-wide challenge,” Instagram staff said in a statement. “We’ll continue our efforts to help ensure teens are placed in age-appropriate online experiences.”
The tool uses several factors to determine users’ real ages. It looks at who they follow, who follows them and what content they interact with, and it also looks at when they receive birthday wishes from other users, Social Media Today reported.
The tool already rolled out in the U.S. and is now heading to Canada and Australia. Instagram will send notifications to parents in Canada with conversation tips on how to talk to kids about using their real birthdays when they make online accounts.
According to Android Central, 97% of teens have kept their safeguards on. Over 90% of parents believe the safeguards help.
YouTube implemented the same kind of scheme earlier this year.
Public awareness of social media dangers, especially for kids, is growing worldwide. France, Greece, Denmark, Australia, Norway and New Zealand have proposed or implemented laws that keep young kids and teens off of social media entirely.
Last year, Meta banned teen accounts from getting messages from strangers on Instagram and Facebook. It also automatically hides any content related to suicide and self-harm.
Vivek Murthy, the former US surgeon general, said social media poses a risk to teens’ “self-worth and their relationships.”
“I, personally, based on the data I’ve seen, believe that 13 is too early,” he said in 2023. “The skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children.” He proposed a label be put on social media apps, warning users of their dangers.
Steps like these are important to keep our children safe online.
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