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Instagram's AI now detects and protects teens, even if their profile says they're adults

Instagram’s AI wants to play detective to keep teens safer online.

If the system makes a mistake and flags an actual adult, that user will have the option to easily revert their settings and correct their age, but the goal is to keep most under-18s in a safer digital space by default. Starting today, Instagram will send notifications to parents in Canada with conversation tips, developed with pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, on how to talk with their teens about using their real birthdays online. Still, by linking parental approval and app store age checks with its own tech, Instagram is trying to make it harder for underage users to slip through the cracks.

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