Meta Expands Teen Safety Protections to 27 EU Countries and US Facebook
Tech giant Meta announced on May 5th that it will extend its technical safety protections for teen accounts to the 27 member states of the European Union and, for the first time, to Facebook in the United States, responding to criticism over its failure to adequately protect minors online.
In recent years, tech companies globally have faced increasing pressure to launch stricter age verification and safety mechanisms to address issues such as online abuse, risks to adolescent mental health, and the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery.
Meta launched a technical system last year that proactively identifies accounts suspected of being used by teenagers, even if those accounts registered with an adult birthday, and includes them under teen account protection. The company stated in a blog post that this technology will be expanded to the 27 EU countries and, for the first time, applied to Facebook in the United States, with Facebook in the UK and EU regions following suit in June.
Meta also disclosed that it is utilizing more advanced AI technology to identify underage accounts, no longer relying solely on the age information users self-report during platform registration. These practices include using AI to analyze entire user profiles and their content, judging whether an account may belong to a minor based on context and behavioral characteristics, and strengthening anti-circumvention measures to prevent users suspected of being underage from bypassing restrictions by registering new accounts.
This move is Meta’s latest response to regulatory pressure and public questioning, aimed at improving the online environment for teens and enhancing the level of protection for minors.