Instagram is using AI to find teens lying about their age and restricting their accounts

Meta Uses AI to Catch Teens Lying About Their Age on Instagram

Meta is now using artificial intelligence to identify Instagram users who may be underage but have lied about their age to bypass platform safeguards. The company announced on Monday that when it suspects an account belongs to a teen—even if it lists an adult birthday—it will automatically convert it into a restricted Teen Account.

Teen Accounts, introduced on Instagram last year, offer a more protected experience for younger users. These accounts come with automatic safety measures that limit who can contact the teen and restrict what kind of content they can see. For users under 16, parental approval is required to change any of these safety settings.

Instagram has long used AI to estimate users’ ages, but the platform is now officially applying this technology to enforce age-appropriate account settings. If a teen tries to access Instagram under the guise of being an adult, AI tools will flag the account and switch it to a Teen Account when necessary.

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According to Meta, the system may detect underage users by analyzing contextual clues—such as “happy birthday” posts that don’t align with the account’s stated age, or user reports that flag suspicious age discrepancies.

Meta had previously discussed this plan with TechCrunch, emphasizing its commitment to strengthening safety for younger users on the platform.

Meta Expands Teen Safety Measures, Adds Parental Notifications and Flexibility

Instagram says it is working to ensure its AI-powered age detection is as accurate as possible when assigning Teen Accounts. Still, the company acknowledges the possibility of errors and is allowing users to adjust their settings if they’ve been mistakenly categorized.

“The digital world continues to evolve and we have to evolve with it,” Meta wrote in its blog post. “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.”

In addition to the expanded use of AI, Instagram will begin sending notifications to parents with guidance on how to talk to their teens about the importance of using their real age online. One of the key ways parents can help, the company says, is by ensuring their teen’s birthday is accurately listed on their account.

This announcement follows Meta’s recent expansion of Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger, marking a broader push to standardize youth safety protections across its platforms.

According to Meta, more than 54 million teens have been enrolled in Teen Accounts globally so far, and 97% of users aged 13 to 15 have remained in these protected accounts—a sign, the company says, that the initiative is working as intended.