Social media companies deploy AI to improve age verification for minors

Major social media companies, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Roblox, are intensifying efforts to implement advanced age verification technologies to protect minors. This movement follows significant regulatory pressure and legal challenges, such as a settlement involving Meta that requires the company to refine its approach to identifying underage users within one year.

To combat the issue of users providing false birth dates, tech firms are deploying machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence. These systems analyze behavioral patterns, such as language usage in comments, connection habits with school-related profiles, and typical connection times, to estimate a user's real age without always requiring official identification. Some companies are also integrating facial estimation tools via video selfies.

When a system identifies an account as belonging to a minor, platforms automatically trigger maximum privacy settings. These restrictions typically include hiding follower lists, preventing direct messages from unknown users, and limiting the visibility of public posts to enhance digital safety.