The social media company Facebook informed that they are developing Artificial Intelligence to identify and delete accounts of people who are below 13. According to the terms, one must be 13 years or older to sign up for Facebook or Instagram. The minimum age is higher in some countries. When people open the apps to sign up for an account, they are prompted for their birthday.
This is called an age screen. Users under the age of 13 are not allowed to sign up, and the system restricts those who repeatedly enter different birthdays into the age field. Verifying someone’s age is not as easy as it seems!!! Young people are often able – and do – get around age screens by misrepresenting their age in our industry. What should be the approach to this issue?
Well, understanding people’s age on the internet is a complex challenge across the industry, and there are already several methods in place for finding and removing accounts registered by people who misrepresent their age. For example, an account that is underage can be reported to Facebook by anyone.
The content reviewers have been trained to flag any reported account that appears to be used by a minor. People unable to prove that they meet our age requirements will have their accounts deleted.
Many argue that collecting IDs is the solution to the problem in the industry. However, this approach has significant limitations: many young people do not have an ID, ID collection isn’t an equitable or fair solution, and isn’t foolproof. Government IDs are widely available in different parts of the world, as are the details included in them, such as a birthday.
Others have access to IDs but don’t get them unless they travel, while others simply cannot afford them. Around the world, the lack of access to IDs has a disproportionate impact on underserved communities, especially young women. Despite having an ID, few of the young people may not feel comfortable showing it.
The problems are not new, yet we will continue to seek the right solutions. It is important to keep young people off of Facebook and Instagram and to make sure that those who are old enough receive the appropriate experience. Here’s how Facebook is using AI in tackling this issue from multiple angles:
Facebook has acknowledged that understanding people’s ages on the internet is a complex task. The company stated that Facebook and Instagram were not designed for children under 13 years of age and they are creating new ways to prevent underage users from joining.
According to the statement, Facebook is developing Artificial Intelligence to identify and remove accounts of minors. Pavni Diwanji, Vice President of Youth Products at Facebook, stated that they are trying to identify and remove underage accounts.
Facebook uses artificial intelligence as the cornerstone of its approach. They plan to develop technology that allows them to estimate people’s ages, like if someone is below or above 18. The technology involves training the model using multiple signals, such as people wishing someone a happy birthday and the age written in those messages, such as “Happy 21st Birthday!” or “Happy Quinceañera.”
Also, their age that was shared on Facebook and any other apps associated with their account and vice versa – so if you shared your birthday on Facebook, it would also be used on Instagram. Though the company will work to improve this technology, it’s important to use it along with other signals to ascertain people’s ages. The social network said that it is focused on using existing data to inform its artificial intelligence technology.
Facebook is also using this technology to keep youngsters safe through important changes. For example, stopping adults from messaging young people who don’t follow them on Instagram, no longer showing posts from young people’s accounts, or the accounts themselves, to adults who have shown potentially suspicious behavior, etc. Facebook also plans to incorporate this technology across our apps to create more age-appropriate experiences. Additionally, the company is developing similar technology to find and delete accounts belonging to people under the age of 13.
Further, according to the social media platform, new experiences are being built for those under 13 by the company. Facebook is working with operating system (OS) providers, browsers, and other providers to share information about users’ ages with apps.
Developers will be able to keep underage users away from their apps. Furthermore, the company has informed that they were trying to determine age by looking at how people greet the person. Users aged 13 or younger are already online according to the company, and the company is trying to create new experiences specifically for them to manage with their parents and guardians.
The company uses existing data to inform artificial intelligence technology. There will be a new Instagram experience for “tweens” in the near future. In order to encourage the younger users, the company offers a parent-directed, age-appropriate experience
