Meta will use AI to analyze height and bone structure to identify if users are underage

Meta will start using AI to scan photos and videos for visual clues to see if a user is under 13 and should be removed from Facebook and Instagram, the company announced on Tuesday. Those visual clues include a person’s height or bone structure.

The system is designed to combine visual analysis with text and interaction signals to increase the number of underage accounts it identifies and removes. Meta said the approach is not facial recognition and does not identify the specific person in the image.

The visual analysis system is already operating in select countries, and Meta said it is working toward a broader rollout. The company also plans to expand the technology to more parts of its apps, including Instagram Live and Facebook Groups.

Meta said it is using the same effort to review entire profiles for contextual hints, such as birthday celebrations or mentions of school grades, across posts, comments, bios and captions. If the system determines that a person may be underage, Meta will deactivate the account and require age verification to keep it from being deleted.

The move comes as social media platforms face rising pressure to better police age access and keep children off products not meant for them. Meta has also said it supports age verification at the app store and operating system levels, a position that aligns with broader policy momentum in Congress and in several states.