Social media offensive Own AI to keep children under 13 away from Meta platforms
Birthday cake on Instagram? Meta's new AI recognizes indications that users are too young and deletes accounts - but those affected can defend themselves. Whether this is enough for the EU remains to be seen.
10.05.2026, 19:54
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In future, Meta will use AI to more accurately identify children and young people on Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
- The software analyzes photos, videos and usage behavior and automatically tightens security settings or deletes accounts.
- The background to this is growing pressure from the EU to better protect minors from the risks of social media.
The US technology company Meta is expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the age of children and young people on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Threads more strictly in future. The new measures are aimed at removing children under the age of 13 from the platforms, the company announced. In addition, young people who falsely impersonate adults are to be forced into stricter security settings. The functions are now being introduced worldwide, including in Switzerland.
AI also rummages through photos and videos
The AI-supported software no longer only analyzes text-based profile information, but also captures the context of images, comments and videos (reels). If the AI recognizes congratulations, balloons or an eleventh birthday cake in a photo, for example, the account is classified as potentially underage and deleted if the suspicion is confirmed. However, those affected can lodge an objection and prove their age with ID documents.
Meta continues to use AI to identify 13 to 17-year-olds who have faked their age when registering. The AI evaluates behavioral patterns, such as how people move around the platform and which accounts they follow. If the system detects a false age claim, the profiles of those affected are automatically transferred to so-called "teen accounts".
Pressure from the European Commission
Meta has been accused in many countries of doing too little to protect children and young people. The EU Commission recently accused the US company of not adequately protecting children from the dangers of its services. The Brussels internet watchdogs are demanding that the Instagram and Facebook platforms enforce the minimum age of 13, which is also stipulated in the terms of use, otherwise the parent company Meta, headed by Mark Zuckerberg, could face severe penalties.
In the long term, Brussels is pushing for all social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and others to use an age verification app developed by the EU Commission to check age information. Meta, on the other hand, is in favor of central age verification at operating system or app store level when a smartphone is first set up, instead of leaving the verification to each individual app.
Calls for a complete ban
In several EU countries - including France, Spain and Austria - there are currently discussions about completely banning social media for minors under a certain age (in some cases up to 15 or 16 years old), similar to what Australia has already implemented. The EU Commission has so far rejected a blanket ban and instead relies on strict technical verification.
