1 day ago
Social Media Companies Intensify Efforts to Identify Child Users
Social media companies want to know which users are children so they can apply safety rules.
Meta agreed to improve its age-checking systems as part of an $18 billion settlement.
The company has one year to strengthen these systems and have outsiders check how well they work.
Some companies ask for identification, while others use artificial intelligence to guess a person’s age.
These systems look at clues such as posts, friendships, viewing habits, photos, and login times.
Roblox uses video selfies for people who want to chat, but it says the videos are deleted after checking.
Experts warn that these tools can make mistakes, especially for some groups of people.
Privacy advocates worry that age checks could make the internet less private and restrict access to lawful information.
Companies also disagree about whether app stores or individual platforms should verify users’ ages.
Meta’s $18 billion settlement requires stronger age-assurance technology and regular outside audits.
Google and Meta use artificial intelligence to estimate ages from online behavior and content.
Roblox requires video selfies for users seeking access to chat features, while deleting videos after processing.
Critics say age checks may be inaccurate, invasive, discriminatory, and harmful to anonymous internet access.
Companies disagree over whether platforms or app stores such as Apple and Google should conduct age checks.
- Who
- Meta, Google, TikTok, Roblox, app store operators, privacy advocates, and technology experts are involved.
- What
- Technology companies are expanding systems to estimate or verify users’ ages for child-safety purposes.
- Where
- The measures affect online platforms in the United States and other countries.
- When
- Meta’s settlement was announced last week, and the company has one year to refine its approach.
- Why
- Companies face growing public and regulatory pressure to protect children from harmful online spaces and content.
Supporters of Stronger Age Checks
Privacy and Free-Expression Critics
Child protection
Supporters of Stronger Age Checks
Age assurance is essential because safety protections are less useful if platforms cannot identify which users are children.
Privacy and Free-Expression Critics
Age checks can expose people to privacy risks and may restrict access to lawful news, health information, or other content.
Who should verify ages
Supporters of Stronger Age Checks
Some platforms, including Meta, argue that app store operators such as Apple and Google should verify users before apps are downloaded.
Privacy and Free-Expression Critics
Google argues that app-store checks would not cover desktop computers, shared family devices, or some pre-installed apps.
Reliability and fairness
Supporters of Stronger Age Checks
Companies say artificial intelligence and facial-estimation tools can identify more underage accounts, and Roblox says its system can estimate many users’ ages within one or two years.
Privacy and Free-Expression Critics
Experts and users report inaccuracies, with particular concerns about reliability for women and certain racial or ethnic groups.
Key facts
- Meta settlement
- A $18 billion agreement involving 48 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
- Meta deadline
- Meta has one year to improve its age-assurance approach.
- Identification retention
- Meta says identification documents used for age checks are deleted within 30 days.
- Artificial intelligence checks
- Google and Meta use online behavior and content to estimate whether users are adults or minors.
- Roblox age check
- Roblox uses video selfies to estimate ages for users who want to chat with others.
- Roblox video policy
- Roblox says age-check videos are deleted after processing.
- Key concern
- Critics cite privacy, accuracy, discrimination, free-expression, and anonymity risks.
Quotes
Technology company opposing proposals to make app stores responsible for age verification
“Billed as ‘simple’ by its backers, including Meta, this proposal fails to cover desktop computers or other devices that are commonly shared within families. It also could be ineffective against pre-installed apps.”
livemint.com
“By combining these visual insights with our analysis of text and interactions, we can significantly increase the number of underage accounts we identify and remove”
livemint.com
Sources
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