Meta will use AI to analyze height and bone structure to identify if users are underage

Source: TechCrunch

Meta will start using AI to scan photos and videos for visual clues to see if a user is under 13 and should be removed from Facebook and Instagram, the company announced on Tuesday. These visual clues include a person’s height or bone structure.

How the visual analysis works

“We want to be clear: this is not facial recognition,” Meta explained in its blog post. “Our AI looks at general themes and visual cues, for example height or bone structure, to estimate someone’s general age; it does not identify the specific person in the image. By combining these visual insights with our analysis of text and interactions, we can significantly increase the number of underage accounts we identify and remove.”

The visual analysis system is now operating in select countries, with a broader rollout planned.

Rollout and future expansion

Meta says the system is part of its efforts to keep kids under 13 off its platforms. The AI also analyzes entire profiles for contextual clues such as birthday celebrations or mentions of school grades, scanning posts, comments, bios, captions, and more. Future expansions include:

• Instagram Live
• Facebook Groups

If Meta determines that a person may be underage, it will deactivate the account. The user must then prove their age through Meta’s verification process to avoid permanent deletion.

Legal backdrop

The announcement comes weeks after a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties for misleading consumers about platform safety and putting children at risk. The company was also ordered to implement fundamental changes to its platforms and has threatened to shut down its social media services in the state.

This case is one of many lawsuits that Meta and other Big Tech companies face over child safety.

Expansion of teen‑account safeguards

Meta also announced that it is expanding its technology that automatically places teens into stricter “Teen Accounts” on Instagram to 27 countries in the EU and Brazil. These teen accounts provide a tighter experience with additional safeguards, such as:

• Receiving DMs only from people they follow or are already connected to
• Hiding harmful comments
• Setting accounts to private by default

Additionally, Meta said it is expanding the technology to Facebook in the U.S. for the first time, followed by the U.K. and EU in June.

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