Instagram expands AI-driven age checks to the UK, enacting Teen Accounts for suspected under-18s
Meta's platform rolls out facial-analysis age verification to identify misreported ages and automatically place youths in age-appropriate accounts with parental controls, widening a safety push across three countries.
Instagram began rolling out AI-powered age verification in the United Kingdom on Monday, enabling the platform to flag accounts it suspects belong to users under 18 even if the profile lists an adult birthday. The system scans for indicators of youth, such as facial features in posted images, and, when it detects a mismatch, automatically moves the account into a Teen Account, Instagram’s age-appropriate version of the app. The move aims to place younger users in a more controlled online environment and to help shield them from predatory behavior and other risks.
The capability, which had already been tested in the United States, is expanding on Sept. 22 to the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Instagram staff noted that understanding online age is an industry-wide challenge and said the company would continue its efforts to ensure teens are placed in age-appropriate online experiences. The rollout follows a broader set of safety measures that have tightened restrictions for younger users in recent years.
Teen Accounts impose a suite of limitations designed to reduce risky interactions and data exposure. Teens’ accounts are private by default, and they must approve new followers. Messages are restricted so that teens can receive messages only from people they follow or are connected with. Content exposure is trimmed for sensitive material in Explore or Reels, and Hidden Word filters remove offensive phrases from comments and direct messages. Time limits can be set by parents, with the app offering parental supervision to monitor who teens message and what topics they view. In some cases, teens under 16 must obtain a parent or guardian’s permission to adjust these settings.
If a user is placed into a Teen Account, they are told via a drop-down notification that safety settings have been updated. They can review the decision and appeal. Appeals can be submitted within the app by providing a selfie for facial verification through a third-party service called Yoti, or by submitting a copy of their ID. Instagram has argued that Teen Accounts help reduce the risk of strangers’ contact and inappropriate content while preserving a safer, age-appropriate experience for younger users.
The system also includes a broader parental supervision framework. Parents can see who their teen is messaging, what topics they engage with, and how much time they spend on the app. Teens under 16 require parental consent to loosen any of these controls. The company has highlighted that all teens, regardless of whether a parent account is linked, are placed into Teen Accounts as part of this safety push. In the United States, the feature has already been deployed and the company said it would continue expanding to other regions as part of its ongoing safety strategy.
Industry observers say the changes reflect ongoing concerns about child safety on social platforms. Meta has faced repeated calls to improve protections for younger users. Last year, the company limited who can message teens on Instagram and Facebook Messenger, and began automatically hiding content related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders from users under 18. Still, some experts argue that 13 is too young to use social media at all. Vivek Murthy, then U.S. surgeon general, said in 2023 that the age threshold is questionable and that the online environment on platforms like Instagram can harm young people’s self-worth and relationships.
The latest move shows Instagram’s approach to age verification is broader than a single feature. By proactively scanning for accounts that may belong to under-18 users, the platform aims to reduce exposure to harmful content and interactions, while offering parents tools to oversee their children’s online activity. Instagram’s leadership has framed the effort as part of ongoing, industry-wide efforts to create safer, more age-appropriate online spaces for teenagers. The company said the changes apply to all teens, regardless of parental account linkage, and that the appeal process remains available for users who want to challenge a dated classification.
Ultimately, the rollout signals a continuing push by Meta to strengthen child safety on its apps, even as critics question at what age children should begin using social networks and how best to balance safety with independence. As the world’s digital landscape evolves, Instagram’s use of artificial intelligence to enforce age-appropriate experiences represents one of several high-profile moves aimed at addressing the complex dynamics of teens, technology and online safety.