Meta is deploying AI to scan the faces of teenage users on Facebook and Instagram, attempting to comply with age verification regulations in Europe, Brazil, and the US. The company insists this is not facial recognition—rather, the system estimates general age based on visual cues like bone structure and height. However, early testing suggests the technology has weaknesses.

A 12-year-old reportedly bypassed the system by drawing a fake mustache with an eyebrow pencil, demonstrating how easily the age estimation can be fooled. The incident raises immediate questions about whether biometric age estimation is a viable solution for compliance.

Regulators worldwide are demanding social media companies do more to identify users under 13 and provide age-appropriate feeds for teenagers. Meta already uses AI to analyze profiles for contextual clues like birthday posts and school mentions. The company is now pushing for app stores to handle age verification instead, claiming 88% of US parents support this approach.