Ensuring Teen Safety on Cash App
Author
Block
Author
Block
One of the ways we prioritize safety for teens on Cash App is by building systems and using technology designed to place teens between the ages of 13 and 17 into Families Sponsored Accounts, which require approval and oversight from their parent or guardian. These accounts provide strong parental oversight in addition to real-time and back end account monitoring through advanced risk models designed to prevent, detect and manage risks associated with teen activity.
Having teens use Families Sponsored Accounts is important because of the extra controls, detections, and safety features they have, which are optimized for protecting teens. Families Sponsored Accounts allow parents and guardians to oversee all transactional activity, block and report other users on behalf of their teen, control which features their teen has access to, and more. Additionally, Cash App’s Risk and Compliance teams maintain models specifically trained to proactively prevent and detect prohibited activity involving teens. As such, we have implemented robust measures designed to ensure that teens are properly categorized and protected within our system.
Addressing False Age Claims Using Machine Learning
Managing and monitoring accounts starts with onboarding and continues throughout the lifecycle of an account. During onboarding, Cash App collects date of birth from all new customers. If the date of birth entered is between 13 - 17 years old, the customer is placed in a ‘Restricted Minor Account’ (RMA), which prevents any transactions until the account is successfully sponsored by their parent or guardian.
We recognize that some teens may try to enter a false, older date of birth (18+), so we’ve made specific investments to detect people who falsify their age during onboarding. We have developed ML models that use a range of signals, including customer attributes, device and location information, contact book data, and transaction patterns, among others. These signals allow us to proactively detect accounts we suspect to be teens (between 13-17 years old) and limit account functionality until the account either passes identity verification (IDV), or gets sponsored by a parent or guardian.
By continuously iterating and retraining these models with the latest data, we enhance our ability to ensure teens are using the appropriate accounts.
Commitment to a Safer Financial Ecosystem
Our efforts to ensure that all teens are in teen accounts reflect our commitment to a secure and responsible financial platform. By leveraging advanced detection methods through machine learning, we aim to protect teens while providing them with a safe way to manage money under proper supervision.
As we continue to enhance our protective measures, we remain dedicated to making Cash App a secure and trustworthy platform for customers of all ages.
Author
Block
One of the ways we prioritize safety for teens on Cash App is by building systems and using technology designed to place teens between the ages of 13 and 17 into Families Sponsored Accounts, which require approval and oversight from their parent or guardian. These accounts provide strong parental oversight in addition to real-time and back end account monitoring through advanced risk models designed to prevent, detect and manage risks associated with teen activity.
Having teens use Families Sponsored Accounts is important because of the extra controls, detections, and safety features they have, which are optimized for protecting teens. Families Sponsored Accounts allow parents and guardians to oversee all transactional activity, block and report other users on behalf of their teen, control which features their teen has access to, and more. Additionally, Cash App’s Risk and Compliance teams maintain models specifically trained to proactively prevent and detect prohibited activity involving teens. As such, we have implemented robust measures designed to ensure that teens are properly categorized and protected within our system.
Addressing False Age Claims Using Machine Learning
Managing and monitoring accounts starts with onboarding and continues throughout the lifecycle of an account. During onboarding, Cash App collects date of birth from all new customers. If the date of birth entered is between 13 - 17 years old, the customer is placed in a ‘Restricted Minor Account’ (RMA), which prevents any transactions until the account is successfully sponsored by their parent or guardian.
We recognize that some teens may try to enter a false, older date of birth (18+), so we’ve made specific investments to detect people who falsify their age during onboarding. We have developed ML models that use a range of signals, including customer attributes, device and location information, contact book data, and transaction patterns, among others. These signals allow us to proactively detect accounts we suspect to be teens (between 13-17 years old) and limit account functionality until the account either passes identity verification (IDV), or gets sponsored by a parent or guardian.
By continuously iterating and retraining these models with the latest data, we enhance our ability to ensure teens are using the appropriate accounts.
Commitment to a Safer Financial Ecosystem
Our efforts to ensure that all teens are in teen accounts reflect our commitment to a secure and responsible financial platform. By leveraging advanced detection methods through machine learning, we aim to protect teens while providing them with a safe way to manage money under proper supervision.
As we continue to enhance our protective measures, we remain dedicated to making Cash App a secure and trustworthy platform for customers of all ages.