Mark Zuckerberg’s company has officially announced the rollout of “advanced artificial intelligence” designed to catch accounts belonging to users under the legal age limit. This technology shifts away from traditional ID-based verification methods in favor of a deep visual analysis of the media users post online.
Meta’s new investigative algorithm is designed to hunt for “visual clues” in photos and videos. In practice, this means the systems automatically scan human bodies for physical development – factoring in estimated height, facial structure, and even bone structure to determine a user’s actual age with a high degree of certainty.
The global expansion of these invasive tools is Meta’s direct response to tightening legislation, particularly Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, which strictly bans anyone under 16 from using the platforms. Following initial tests in the US market, the body-scanning technology is now making its way overseas.
“In Australia, we are committed to complying with the social media ban and are extending these advanced detection tools to under-16s in the coming weeks and months” – confirmed Antigone Davis, Meta’s Vice President and Global Head of Safety, in a statement to Information Age.
The scale of the platform purges is already massive. According to disclosed data, by January of this year alone, Meta had blocked over 544,000 accounts belonging to users under 16 in Australia. Furthermore, the tech giant announced the expansion of an initiative that automatically slaps heavy restrictions and activates a protective “Teen Account” mode for all identified users under 18.
While Meta insists its algorithms were designed with privacy in mind, the system’s core mechanic remains unchanged: the corporation is mass-analyzing the physiological traits of its users. In practice, this creates a one-sided deal. For many, keeping unrestricted access to Facebook and Instagram now hinges on quietly consenting to automated body scans based on every photo or video they post.