Meta expanding teen account protection features to users across the world, according to a blog post from the compay on Monday. This rollout will include the expansion of of its AI age-detection for teen across the globe on its social media platform Instagram. It will use Apple's age-range signal in Australia.
The process involves having parent sets up an age range for their teen's smartphone through Apple' App Store. Apple will then pass on this information to an external developer such as Meta, which will confirm whether the user meets the age requirement.
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The company stated that it is voluntarily using this signal, as long as collecting it and sharing it continues to be optional for app stores. Use of the feature stays optional for developers, teens will receive "inconsistent protections" across the many apps they use, as per the blog post.
"We use AI technology to find people we suspect to be teens, even if they use an adult birthday, and place them in Teen Account protections. Since first introducing this technology, we've been placing more teens in age-appropriate protections and are encouraged by the results. Based on that success, today we're expanding this technology globally," the company's blog post said.
Meta introduced the 'Instagram Teen Accounts' feature in September 2024, rolling the feature out to all users across the world on June 2025. These Teen Accounts have built-in protections which limit who can contact them and the content they see. It automatically places teens into Teen Accounts, and teens under 16 will need a parent's permission to change any of these settings to be less strict.
This development comes after the European Union proposed the ' 'EU KIDS Act ' to restrict children's access to social media and make online platforms, video games and AI assistants safer for minors on Sept. 17.
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AFP reported that the proposed legislation would ban children under 13 from accessing social media, while allowing limited and supervised access for teenagers aged 13 and 14.
Under the proposal, children aged 15 and above would be allowed to create social media accounts. Those aged 13 and 14 could use so-called “mini accounts” linked to a parent or guardian's account, according to the European Commission's plan.
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