META To Use AI To Remove Users Under 13 From Social Media

BERLIN, May 5 (Bernama-dpa) -- United States (US) tech giant Meta announced on Tuesday that it plans to use AI to verify the ages of its young users, with a view to removing children under 13, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The AI-supported software will analyse not only text-based profile data but also the context of images, comments and videos (reels) on the company's platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp. 

Where the software detects balloons or an 11th birthday party cake, the account will be rated as a child's account and deleted upon confirmation, the company said.

Those affected will be able to contest decisions and provide proof of age through identity documents.

Meta will also use AI to identify teenagers up to the age of 17 who have misrepresented themselves as adult, evaluating behavioural patterns, including the accounts they follow.

Where a fake age is detected, the profiles will be switched to teen accounts.

The European Commission recently accused Meta of failing to adequately protect young people.

Brussels has demanded that Instagram and Facebook implement a minimum age of 13, failing which it could impose a large fine.

Over the longer term, the Commission is requiring all social media platforms to use an EU app for age verification.

Meta, however, advocates centralised age verification when setting up a smartphone at the operating system or app store level, rather than leaving verification to each separate app.

Discussions are ongoing in EU countries such as Austria, France and Spain on a complete social media ban for young people from a certain age, with 15 or 16 being considered. Australia has imposed a ban of this kind.

The European Commission has thus far rejected an outright ban in favour of stricter technical verification.

-- BERNAMA-dpa