As social media companies are focused on introducing products and features that keep their users hooked, regulatory authorities are actively looking into protecting teenagers from the adverse impact of excessive consumption of these platforms. A growing number of teens, not only parents, seem worried about the harmful impacts of social media, as pointed out in a recent report. Meta, amidst the growing concerns, launched its Teen Accounts for Instagram last year but has been pursuing the protection more aggressively by now using its AI technology to have more teens enroll in the right account.
Meta is now using AI to help figure out suspected teens lying about their birth year and place them into Teen Accounts
With the growing trend of social media platforms, there seems to be a wider concern among the community about how detrimental excessive consumption can be, especially for younger users’ mental health. Even the teens are said to be now aware of how the exposure to these platforms is impacting their time, and generally believe they have a negative impact. A recent report by Pew Research surveyed about 1,391 teens and parents across the United States and highlighted how young users now feel the need to hold these platforms accountable for the harm they have done to them.
Given the shifting view of teens along with the parents and community, Meta launched Instagram Teen Accounts last year and recently expanded to Facebook and Messenger. It is aimed at supporting parents who want to have control over their kids’ interaction by keeping an eye on the content they see and the time they spend online through the built-in protection setting. Teenagers are automatically part of the protection settings, and if they need to make any changes, they need either parental or guardian approval.
Now, Meta is going one step ahead by announcing its plan to ensure the new protection is expanded to as many teens as possible. Meta shared yesterday that it is now using its AI-based age technology in the U.S. to protect young users by identifying teens who have been misrepresenting their age in order to have access to adult features on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. While the company admits this is not the first time using AI to estimate user age groups, it also takes the chance to highlight that it is the first time of actively using the tool to apply safeguards, and that makes it a significant step.
If the AI technology detects any underage teenager who claims otherwise, they would be automatically transitioned to the teen account with more stringent safety features. Meta emphasizes that it is ensuring the technology is accurate through its built-in safeguards and AI scans for behavioral cues. It is also aware of false positives and how, in order to deal with them, the company will allow users to update their settings themselves.
Meta seems to be actively responding to pressure from the public and regulatory authorities and making a smart move by not only complying but also looking for more ways to protect young children from the harmful impact of social media consumption.
Source: Wccftech / Digpu NewsTex