TECH NEWS – The rise of artificial intelligence could also affect people who sign up for Mark Zuckerberg’s platform too early.

Social media companies are focused on introducing products and features that keep their users as engaged as possible. As a result, regulators are actively working to protect teens from the harmful effects of overconsumption on these platforms. More and more teens are concerned about this, as a recent report shows. Amid growing concerns, Meta launched teen accounts for Instagram last year, but has recently become even more aggressive in its efforts to protect them, using its AI technology to get more teens on the right account.

A recent report from Pew Research surveyed some 1,391 teens and parents in the US and highlighted that young users now feel the need to hold these platforms accountable for the harm they cause. Instagram’s teen accounts are designed to support parents who want to control their children’s interactions through built-in protection settings, while keeping an eye on the content they see and the time they spend online. Teens are automatically enrolled in the safety settings and need either a parent or guardian to approve any changes.

This is being changed (tightened) by Meta, which has announced plans to extend the new protection to as many teens as possible. In the US, it will now use its artificial intelligence-based age verification technology to protect young users by identifying teens who have misrepresented their age to access adult features on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. The company acknowledges that this is not the first time it has used AI to estimate the age of users, and takes the opportunity to emphasize that this is the first time it has actively used the tool to apply protections, making it a significant step forward.

If the technology detects an underage teenager lying about their age, they are automatically given a teen account. Meta emphasizes that the accuracy of the technology is ensured by built-in safeguards and artificial intelligence that looks for behavioral signals. It is also aware of false positives and that to address these, the company allows users to update their settings themselves.

But sometimes a human response is more meaningful and useful. Oh, that you have to pay $12 a month (or $15 over the phone) for a Meta Verified subscription to talk to people in customer support?

Source: WCCFTech, Pew Research, Meta