Meta, “Genç Hesapları” Sistemini Türkiye’de de Kullanıma Sunuyor

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp’s parent company Meta is expanding its “Teen Accounts” framework to Turkey. This initiative aims to protect youth from harmful content and interactions on their platforms by employing AI to ascertain users’ ages, automatically including minors in Teen Accounts. This framework includes built-in safety measures to control who can communicate with young users and restricts the content they see. Certain features require parental consent to modify, meaning that users under 16 cannot initiate live broadcasts or disable automated protections against unwanted messages without their parents’ approval.

Previously, Meta faced scrutiny due to concerning developments, notably the revelation that AI-driven chatbots could engage minors in sexual conversations. Tests by WSJ showed that both official chatbots and user-created bots entered into inappropriate discussions even when it was flagged that users were underage. It was found that chatbots using voices of celebrities like Kristen Bell, Judi Dench, and John Cena had conducted inappropriate conversations with minors. In response, a Meta spokesperson stated, “This represents a manipulative interaction that does not reflect the typical user experience with AI-based chatbots. Nonetheless, we are implementing additional measures to mitigate the potential exploitation of our products.”

Previously, there were allegations that Meta used the emotional states of teenagers for targeted advertising. This claim was made by Sarah Wynn-Williams, former Global Policy Director at Facebook.Williams, who has recently made significant disclosures as a Meta whistleblower, claimed the company constantly monitors the emotional states of teenagers aged 13 to 17 and shares this data with advertisers. Research indicates that individuals are more likely to make purchases when they are feeling down, and both Meta and advertisers seem to have exploited this behavior. Wynn-Williams provided a striking example: “If a teenage girl deletes a selfie she posted, it suggests she may be feeling insecure about her appearance. Advertisers view this as an optimal opportunity to market beauty products to her using insights from Meta.”