WASHINGTON (TNND) — Meta said Tuesday that artificial intelligence will be used to ensure users under the age of 13 won’t be using the company’s social media platforms.
“Today, we’re sharing updates on the age assurance technology we use to help ensure teens are in the right experiences for their age,” Meta wrote in a blog post.
The tech giant said it would be expanding protections for teenagers and ramping up ways to ensure those who misrepresent their age are off the platforms.
“This includes a deeper look at our ongoing work to strengthen underage enforcement, including the addition of AI visual analysis and other advancements; expanded protections for teens who we suspect misrepresent their age on Instagram in the EU and Brazil, and on Facebook in the US; and our ongoing efforts to help parents to talk to their teens about providing the correct age online,” the blog post continued.
This announcement comes amid backlash from Congress and different states regarding online safety.
New Mexico Democratic Attorney General Raúl Torrez criticized Meta last week for threatening to shut down social media platforms in the state.
This comes after a jury in March slapped Meta with $375 million in civil penalties, arguing that the website failed to protect minors from sexual predators.
Meta argued that the state’s requests for relief are burdensome, broad and “in many cases technologically impractical or completely impossible.”