Meta expands AI-powered age detection to 27 EU countries and Brazil, adding visual analysis to identify underage accounts

Meta is expanding technology that proactively identifies accounts it suspects belong to teens—even if they list an adult birthday—to 27 countries in the EU and Brazil on Instagram, and to Facebook in the US for the first time, with planned expansion to the UK and EU in June.

The company is adding visual analysis as a new detection technique, where AI scans photos and videos for visual cues (such as height or bone structure) to estimate age without identifying specific individuals; this complements existing text-based analysis of posts, comments, bios, and captions across Instagram Reels, Instagram Live, and Facebook Groups.

Meta will begin sending notifications to parents in the US on Facebook and Instagram this month with information on how to check and confirm their teens' ages, and will include tips on conversations about providing correct age online.