Overview
- Instagram is using AI to identify accounts it believes belong to under‑18s—even if they list adult birthdays—and automatically place them in Teen Account settings.
- Today’s expansion extends the U.S. deployment to Canada, the UK and Australia, with protections that default accounts to private, limit DMs, filter sensitive content and block live streaming.
- Flagged users can review the decision and appeal in‑app by submitting a selfie or ID for verification via third‑party provider Yoti, and adults mistakenly flagged can revert settings.
- Instagram will notify parents in Canada and the UK with guidance on discussing accurate ages online, and teens under 16 need a parent or guardian’s permission to relax safeguards.
- Meta cites more than 54 million teens already in Teen Accounts and urges app stores to provide age signals, as Australia prepares to enforce an under‑16 social‑media prohibition with significant fines for noncompliance.