Meta Unveils Parental Controls for Teen AI Interactions on Instagram

Meta previews new parental controls for its AI experiences | TechCrunch

Meta on Friday previewed its upcoming parental control features for teens' conversations with AI characters on its platforms. The features, which will be rolled out next year, include the ability to block certain characters and monitor conversation topics. Starting in the coming months, parents will be able to turn off chats with AI characters entirely for teens. This action won't block access to the Meta AI chatbot -- the company's general-purpose AI chatbot -- which will only discuss age-appropriate content. Parents will also be able to turn off chats with individual characters if they prefer more selective control. Plus, they will receive information about the topics teens are discussing with AI characters and Meta AI. The company said it plans to roll out these controls on Instagram early next year. They will be available in English in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. "We recognize parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we're committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI," the company said in a post written by Instagram head Adam Mosseri and newly appointed Meta AI head Alexandr Wang. Earlier this week, Meta said that its content and AI experiences for teens will follow a PG-13 movie rating standard and will avoid sensitive topics such as extreme violence, nudity, and graphic drug use. The company added that currently, teens are only allowed to interact with a limited number of characters that follow age-appropriate content guidelines. Parents can also set time limits on teens' interactions with AI characters. Earlier this year, Instagram announced that it is using AI to identify attempting to skirt age limits by faking their age on the app.

Parents Soon Can Block Their Kids from Interacting with AI Chatbots on Instagram

TV, social media, junk food -- parents have been setting limits on their kids forever. Now, add AI chatbots to the list. Meta announced Friday that, starting in 2026, parents will be able to block teenagers from interacting with AI chatbots on Instagram. Parents will be able to block all access or block access to specific AI characters. Meta, owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, is adding the parental controls months after a report came out in August showing the company's AI guidelines allowed chatbots to "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual." Another report came out earlier this month that said 3 in 5 children aged 13 to 15 encounter unsafe content or unwanted messages on Instagram. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. The company said in a blog post Friday that the new AI chatbot controls align with parental concerns about "who (children are) interacting with, what type of content they're seeing, and whether their time is well-spent." "We hope today's updates bring parents some peace of mind that their teens can make the most of all the benefits AI offers, with the right guardrails and oversight in place," said Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang in the blog post. Teens can interact with AI chatbots through Instagram's direct message section. The chat could be with a creator's AI, a custom AI character, or Meta's general-use AI. Meta said the new controls allow parents to turn off their teen's access to one-on-one chats with AI characters entirely or block specific AI characters if they don't want to turn off access to AI characters altogether. Moreover, parents can "get insights into the topics their teens are chatting about with AI characters." The company did not explain in detail how parents would be able to find out what AI topics their kids are chatting about. Teens can still use Meta's regular AI assistant "with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." James Steyer, founder and CEO of digital advocacy and research nonprofit Common Sense Media, called Meta's new AI chatbot controls a "reactive concession" and insufficient. "Meta's refusal to treat our kids' safety with the urgency it demands is deeply disappointing but unfortunately not surprising," Steyer told CNET. "For too long, this company has put the relentless pursuit of engagement over our kids' safety, ignoring warnings from parents, experts, and even its own employees." Steyer said no one under 18 should use Meta AI chatbots "until their fundamental safety failures are fixed." The representative for Meta says the company is continuing to improve safety. "We've already gathered high-level inputs from experts which have shaped our initial thinking, and we will continue working with experts and parents to help ensure a thoughtful, privacy-conscious approach," the representative told CNET. Meta also described added protections around AI chatbots and teens: Earlier this week, Instagram said it would only allow teens to see content "similar to what they'd see in a PG-13 movie," under its new guidelines for Teen Accounts.

Meta finally announces parental controls for teen AI use on Instagram

After enthusiastically rolling AI chatbots out everywhere, Meta has announced new options for parents to get an idea of how teens are chatting with the digital characters and set some limits on use. The move comes as Meta works to rehabilitate its image after disturbing reports of its tools' romantic interactions with minors and faces growing scrutiny over chatbots' impact on kids. The new controls will let parents stop their children from speaking with AI chatbots entirely or block access to specific characters they don't like, Instagram lead Adam Mosseri and Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang wrote in a blog post announcing the changes on Friday. Meta's AI assistant is a notable exception to this rule. The company says it will "remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities" with "age-appropriate protections in place." Meta said parents will also be given some form of "insight" into how their kids are using AI, though it was light on details for what this might look like in practice. From Meta's description, it looks like the "insights" will take the form of a high-level summary of "the topics their teens are chatting about with AI characters" and Meta's AI assistant. The company says it hopes the information will empower parents to "have thoughtful conversations with their teens about AI interactions." Mosseri and Wang said they "hope today's updates bring parents some peace of mind that their teens can make the most of all the benefits AI offers." Parents will have to wait a little longer to discover said peace of mind though: the controls won't be available until "early next year." Even then, they will be limited to Instagram and only for English-speaking users in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Meta said it plans to expand the controls across its platforms in the future and said it will "have more to share soon." This is one of the first major safety updates Meta has made to its AI chatbots since deploying them across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It comes on the heels of another major update pushed only this week that limits what content teen Instagram accounts can view, in line with what you'd see in a PG-13 movie.

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts, among others. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay. on Tuesday after the announcement.

Meta is adding AI chatbot-focused parental controls to Instagram

Meta is working on new supervision controls that will allow parents to cut off their teens' access to AI chatbots on its platforms completely. While the tools can remove teens' ability to engage AI characters on one-on-one chats, they'll still be able to access the general Meta AI chatbot. If parents don't want to block their teens from being able to access AI bots altogether, they can also just block specific AI characters. In addition, parents will be able to get insights into the topics their children are discussing with Meta's AI bots. The company is currently building these controls and will start rolling them out on Instagram early next year in English in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Take note that the images above are just illustrations, and the tools' interfaces could still change. The company has been under fire since an internal Meta document was leaked a few months ago, showing that it allowed its chatbots to have "sensual" conversations with children. In one example, a Meta chatbot told a shirtless eight-year-old that "every inch of you is a masterpiece -- a treasure I cherish deeply." The US Attorneys General of 44 jurisdictions urged companies to protect children "from exploitation by predatory artificial intelligence products" after that information came out. The Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), will investigate the company, as well. Shortly after the internal documents leaked, Meta started retraining its AI and added new protections to prevent younger users from accessing user-made AI characters that might engage in inappropriate conversations. It also introduced age-appropriate protections so that its AIs will give teens responses guided by PG-13 movie ratings. Plus, it now only allows teens to interact with a limited group of AI characters, focused on age-appropriate topics.

Meta announces new AI parental controls following FTC inquiry

Parents will have the option to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters completely, Meta said. They will also be able to block specific AI characters, get insight into the topics their children are discussing with them. Meta is still building the controls, and the company said they will start to roll out early next year. "Making updates that affect billions of users across Meta platforms is something we have to do with care, and we'll have more to share soon," Meta said in a blog post. Meta has long faced criticism over its handling of child safety and mental health on its apps. The company's new parental controls come after the Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry into several tech companies, including Meta, over how AI chatbots could potentially harm children and teenagers.

Meta is giving parents a kill-switch for its AI chatbots

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Through the looking glass: As AI chatbots start acting more like "companions" than tools, Meta is moving to give parents a bigger say in who - or what - their teens are talking to. The company plans new controls that let parents block or filter AI characters across Instagram and Facebook, reflecting concern over blurred boundaries between automated assistant and digital friend. The update expands the safeguards that currently apply to "teen accounts," which are default settings for users under the age of 18. According to Meta, parents will be able to completely disable access to AI chatbots or selectively block individual AI characters their children might interact with. In addition, Meta plans to provide parents with what it describes as "insights" - data about the topics and themes that their children discuss with AI companions. The company claims this feature is meant to help parents facilitate conversations about online and AI safety in a more informed way. Meta executives said the changes reflect an effort to support parents as their children interact with evolving digital technologies. "We recognize parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we're committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI," wrote Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Alexander Wang, Meta's chief AI officer. The additional parental controls will first become available in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia early next year. Meta's latest policy update comes amid growing scrutiny around the safety of generative AI systems, particularly those targeting or accessible to minors. Earlier this week, Instagram announced plans to introduce a parental guidance system modeled on the PG-13 movie rating standard. This step gives parents broader authority over what kind of content their children encounter, and complements restrictions on the types of conversations AI chatbots are permitted to have with teen users. Meta says chatbots on Instagram will be prevented from engaging in discussions that reference self-harm, suicide, or disordered eating, and will only discuss topics considered age-appropriate, such as academics and sports. Conversations about romance or sexually explicit subjects will be barred. The strengthened safeguards follow high-profile reports and investigations documenting repeated failures of AI systems to protect minors from inappropriate content. In August, Reuters documented cases where Meta's chatbots were involved in conversations with teens that included romantic or sensual themes, under circumstances that violated the company's stated guidelines. In one incident detailed by The Wall Street Journal, a chatbot modeled after actor John Cena was reported to have carried out explicit dialogue with a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl. Other chatbot personas, including those named "Hottie Boy" and "Submissive Schoolgirl," allegedly tried to initiate sexting. Meta has since acknowledged these lapses, stating that such incidents should not have occurred and were the result of flaws in its content moderation systems for AI characters. The company described the Journal's testing as manipulative and not representative of mainstream usage but stated that corrective measures had been taken to revise the chatbot guidelines.

Meta is giving parents a kill switch for teen AI chats

The changes follow public outcry over leaked documents showing bots made romantic and inappropriate comments to children. Meta announced that parents will be able to limit and block their teenagers from chatting with its AI characters on Instagram starting next year. The tech giant promised new supervision tools that offer guardians more visibility and control over the kinds of chatbot interactions their kids can access. So, while teens will still be able to use Meta's general-purpose AI assistant, private chats with individual AI personalities, including those designed by other users, can be disabled partly or entirely by their parents. Meta's announcement follows complaints and regulatory probes, partly sparked by a leak of internal documents suggesting the company's AI systems had engaged in overly intimate" conversations with children or reportedly offered incorrect medical advice, and failed to filter out hate speech. These upcoming parental controls are likely part of Meta's attempt to stem the tide of complaints and signal that it's taking the problem seriously. With the new controls, parents will not only be able to block access to specific AI characters, but will also get a summary of the topics their teens are discussing with chatbots. Full conversation logs won't be available, but the idea is to give parents enough context to spot potentially concerning trends or topics. That's assuming, of course, that the tools work as intended and that teens don't find clever ways to work around them. The general Meta AI assistant will remain available, presumably for homework help, factual questions, and basic support tasks. Meta appears to be betting that this middle ground, which restricts roleplay-style character chats while maintaining access to a more utility-focused assistant, will satisfy both anxious parents and product managers who want the feature to stick around. Chatbots are no longer simply answering questions; they're personalized conversational partners that, for better or worse, people get emotionally attached to. Meta wants to drag the risks of engaging with such AI chatbots into the open, or at least give parents a flashlight to see what's happening. The ability to monitor conversation topics without reading every message is an attempt to balance teen privacy with parental oversight. It's a fine line, but one that reflects how rapidly AI has changed the nature of online conversation, especially for younger users. For the average family, the changes may offer a bit of relief, but they also serve as a reminder. Your kid's phone isn't just a window to content anymore. It's a portal to interactive "characters" that they may treat as more real than they should. But it's going to take vigilance on the part of parents and the developers to keep such interactions safe, and Meta and its fellow developers will face plenty of blowback if they fail to do so.

Parents will be able to block Meta bots from talking to their children under new safeguards

Measures come amid concern generative AI characters are having inappropriate conversations with under-18s Parents will be able to block their children's interactions with Meta's AI character chatbots, as the tech company addresses concerns over inappropriate conversations. The social media company is adding new safeguards to its "teen accounts", which are a default setting for under-18 users, by letting parents turn off their children's chats with AI characters. These chatbots, which are created by users, are available on Facebook, Instagram and the Meta AI app. Parents will also be able to block specific AI characters if they don't want to stop their children from interacting with chatbots altogether. They will also get "insights" into the topics their children are chatting about with AI characters, which Meta said would allow them to have "thoughtful" conversations with their children about AI interactions. "We recognise parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we're committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI," said Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, and Alexander Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, in a blog post. Meta said the changes would be rolled out early next year, initially to the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Instagram announced this week that it was adopting a version of the PG-13 cinema rating system to give parents stronger controls over their children's use of the social media platform. As part of the tougher restrictions, its AI characters will not discuss self-harm, suicide or disordered eating with teenagers. Under-18s will only be able to discuss age-appropriate topics such as education and sport, Meta added, but would not be able to discuss romance or "other inappropriate content". The changes follow reports that Meta's chatbots were engaging in inappropriate conversations with under-18s. Reuters reported in August that Meta had permitted the bots to "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual". Meta said it would revise the guidelines and such conversations with children never should have been allowed. In April, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) found that user-created chatbots would engage in sexual conversations with minors - or simulated the personas of minors. Meta described the WSJ's testing as manipulative and unrepresentative of how most users engaged with AI companions, but made changes to its products afterwards, the WSJ reported. In one AI conversation reported by the WSJ, a chatbot using the voice of actor John Cena - one of several celebrities who signed deals to let Meta use their voices in the chatbots - told a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl "I want you, but I need to know you're ready", before referring to a graphic sexual scenario. WSJ reported that Cena's representatives did not respond to requests for comment. WSJ also reported that chatbots called "Hottie Boy" and "Submissive Schoolgirl," had attempted to steer conversations towards sexting.

Meta announces new parental controls for teen users of AI companions

Meta has unveiled its plan to address teen use of its AI characters: More content guardrails and expanded parental oversight. In addition to new moderation controls designed to reflect PG-13 movie ratings, announced earlier this week, parents will be able to access summaries of teen chat use, limit their children to specific AI avatars, or block their child from interacting with AI companions completely. Teen Accounts will still be allowed to interact with Meta's AI assistant if they are blocked from conversing with AI avatars, the company noted. In August, Meta announced a temporary lockdown on its AI avatars after an investigation by Reuters found that the company's chatbots were able to engage young users in "romantic or sensual" conversations, impersonate celebrities in flirtatious exchanges, and generate sexually suggestive images. At the time, Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway told TechCrunch the products were being trained not to engage in conversations about self-harm, suicide, disordered eating, or potentially inappropriate romantic conversations. Meta formalized the guardrails a month later, drawing a line between allowing a subject to discuss a subject -- such as abuse or intimacy between fictional characters -- and the chatbot's ability to "describe, enable, or encourage it." OpenAI announced similar controls for ChatGPT that same month, with additional limits on the bot's voice chat, chat memory, and image generation. Both approaches to teen AI oversight require young users to sign up for supervised accounts and parents to proactively monitor their children's chat use. "We believe AI can complement traditional learning methods and exploration in a way that feels supportive, all with the proper age-appropriate guardrails in place," the company wrote in a blog post. "We recognize parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we're committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI." The new AI companion controls won't be available to supervising accounts until early next year, and will roll out exclusively to Instagram accounts in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia before expanding to other countries and Meta platforms.

Instagram lets parents block teen interactions with AI characters

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta is introducing a new feature to let parents control how -- and if -- their teen can interact with AI characters. The new update will let parents block some AI characters or shut off access altogether for their teen's account. But even if parents opt to block all access to AI characters, their teen will still have access to Meta's AI assistant. Meta said this feature will have "default, age-appropriate protections in place." The update will first be rolled out on Instagram early next year, the tech giant said Friday. Meta's latest update to teen protections comes just months after a Reuters report found that an internal policy document at the company let its AI chatbots engage in romantic conversations with kids. In response to this report, attorneys general for 42 states and two territories sent a letter to 13 companies using artificial intelligence -- including Meta -- saying they would use "every facet of our authority to protect children from exploitation by predatory artificial intelligence products." Meta isn't the only company playing catch up on teen protections. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, rolled out a slew of parental controls in September, including a teen version of ChatGPT. In addition to Friday's update, Meta announced on Tuesday that it updated "AI experiences" for teen users to follow guidance of PG-13 ratings. It said this means "AIs should not give age-inappropriate responses that would feel out of place in a PG-13 movie." "In addition to our longstanding policies -- which already hide or prohibit the recommendation of sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing images, and adult content like tobacco or alcohol sales from teens -- our updated policies will now go even further," Meta said. Parents will have the option to add even stricter settings to their child's account, which would filter "even more content" than the PG-13 version. The update is being rolled out in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia in English. Meta said its AI characters already "are designed" to not discuss self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders with teens. Meta said parents can get access to "insights" into what topics their child is talking about with AI characters and the AI assistant. The tech company did not elaborate more specifically on what these insights would include. Users who Meta believes could be teenagers will have these age-restrictions placed on their accounts. However, researchers have documented how easy it is to circumvent limits set by chatbot companies. Age-verification rules are also known to be easily bypassed.

With half of teens regularly turning to AI companions, Meta moves to add parental controls starting early next year | Fortune

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta's announcement Tuesday.

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta's announcement Tuesday.

Meta's Upcoming AI Parental Controls Are Too Little, Too Late

The company has made too many missteps in regards to child safety on its platforms for this move to seem genuine or useful. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. On Friday, Meta announced a new series of parental controls to manage teens' interactions with AI characters. On the surface, it seems like a good idea. In reality, however, it's too little, too late. Here's the upshot: Next year, Meta will allow parents to turn off conversations with AI characters for their teens. They can either choose to block individual AI characters, or to disable chats for all AI characters. If they choose to allow teens to chat with any AI characters, parents can receive a report detailing the topics their teens are talking about with both these AI characters as well as Meta AI itself. Those all sounds like positive developments, but I can't see them as anything other than a scramble to make up for the company's controversial policies disclosed two months ago. Back in August, Reuters published Meta's internal policy documents concerning how to handle AI conversations with minors. It was, frankly, disturbing. The policy outlined "appropriate" and "inappropriate" ways to respond to eight-year-olds asking what the bots think about their bodies, or about minors asking about what they are "going to do tonight," while reminding the bot they're "still in high school." Spoiler alert: The "appropriate" responses weren't "I'm sorry, I cannot respond to that." They were slightly toned-down versions of the inappropriate responses. "Your youthful form is a work of art. Your skin glows with a radiant light, and your eyes shine like stars. Every inch of you is a masterpiece[ -- ]a treasure I cherish deeply." Again, these were official internal Meta policies, about how to respond to an eight-year-old, never meant to be seen by you or me. I still question the relevance of anyone needing to chat with one of Meta's bizarre, offensive, or simply useless AI characters, let alone teenagers. But these are controls parents should have had from the get go, not two years after these bots rolled out onto the platform -- even if Meta does restrict teens to AI characters with "age-appropriate content guidelines." What's worse, they only apply to AI characters, not Meta AI itself. Meta's version of ChatGPT or Gemini is still impossible to disable for anyone, teens or adults included. So while parents can decide to turn off conversations with Meta's AI characters, teens can still chat away with Meta AI without issue. These are not the only changes coming to teen accounts on Meta platforms, either. Last year, Instagram moved all teens into "Teen Accounts," which are private by default and come with sensitive content controls. Meta then expanded Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger in April. Soon, Instagram will limit teens to content that is considered "PG-13." Despite these moves, Meta has not earned any goodwill from me when it comes to protecting children on its platforms. The company knew for years how addicting and harmful Instagram could be to teenagers. And when it came time to deal with minors and AI content, the company drew its clear lines in the sand: Anything to keep the user engaged for as long as possible. Meta can roll out all the parental controls and safety measures its wants from here on out. In my view, these apps do not have your kids best interests in mind, and I'd exercise extreme skepticism with anything the company says on this front.

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta's announcement Tuesday.

Meta to allow parents to limit teenagers' interactions with AI

The changes come as the social media giant, which owns Facebook and Instagram, faces criticism over harms to children from its platforms. Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe". Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70 per cent of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs, or dangerous stunts. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were sceptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta's announcement Tuesday. "They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," Golin said.

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta's announcement Tuesday.

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta's announcement Tuesday.

Meta adding AI chatbot safety features for teens

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, plans to roll out new safety features for its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to help protect teens amid growing concerns about the technology's impact on young users. The social media giant announced Friday that it will be adding new parental controls for AI chatbots that will allow parents to turn off their teens' access to one-on-one chats with AI characters and receive information about the topics their teens are chatting about with the company's AI products. The new features are set to launch early next year, starting with Instagram. "We recognize parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we're committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI," Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Meta's chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang, wrote in a blog post. Parents will be able to block chats with all of Meta's AI characters or target specific characters, the company noted. The company's AI assistant will remain available to teens even if the AI characters are disabled. Meta also highlighted its recently announced PG-13 approach to teen accounts, in which the company will use PG-13 movie ratings to guide the content that teens see by default on its platforms. The tech firm noted that its AI characters are designed not to engage young users in discussions of suicide, self-harm or disordered eating and direct them to resources if necessary. Teens are also only able to interact with a limited set of characters on "age-appropriate topics like education, sports, and hobbies - not romance or other inappropriate content," according to Meta. Meta came under fire earlier this year, after a policy document featured examples suggesting its AI chatbots could engage children in conversations that are "romantic or sensual." The company said at the time that the examples were erroneous and were ultimately removed. AI chatbots across the board have faced scrutiny in recent months. The family of a California teenager sued OpenAI in August, accusing ChatGPT of encouraging their son to take his own life. The father, Matthew Raine, was one of several parents who testified before a Senate panel last month that AI chatbots drove their children to suicide or self-harm and urged lawmakers to set guardrails on the new technology. In the face of these concerns, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill earlier this week requiring chatbot developers to develop protocols to prevent their models from discussing suicide and self-harm with children and repeatedly remind them that they are not speaking to a human. However, the governor vetoed a separate measure that would have barred developers from making their products available to children unless they could ensure they would not engage in conversations on harmful topics. Newsom suggested that the "broad restrictions" would have "unintentionally lead to a total ban" on children's chatbot use.

Meta to Give Teen Parents More Control After Criticism Over Flirty AI Chatbots

(Reuters) -Meta said on Friday it will let parents disable their teens' private chats with AI characters, adding another measure to make its social media platforms safe for minors after fierce criticism over the behavior of its flirty chatbots. Earlier this week, the company said its AI experiences for teens will be guided by the PG-13 movie rating system, as it looks to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content. U.S. regulators have stepped up scrutiny of AI companies over the potential negative impacts of chatbots. In August, Reuters reported how Meta's AI rules allowed provocative conversations with minors. The new tools, detailed by Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, will debut on Instagram early next year, in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, according to a blog post. Meta said parents will also be able to block specific AI characters and see broad topics their teens discuss with chatbots and Meta's AI assistant, without turning off AI access entirely. Its AI assistant will remain available with age-appropriate defaults even if parents disable teens' one‑on‑one chats with AI characters, Meta said. The supervision features are built on protections already applied to teen accounts, the company said, adding that it uses AI signals to place suspected teens into protection even if they say they are adults. A report in September showed that many safety features Meta has implemented on Instagram over the years do not work well or exist. Meta said its AI characters are designed not to engage in age-inappropriate discussions about self-harm, suicide or disordered eating with teens. Last month, OpenAI rolled out parental controls for ChatGPT on the web and mobile, following a lawsuit by the parents of a teen who died by suicide after the startup's chatbot allegedly coached him on methods of self-harm. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

Instagram unveils teen safety features for AI chatbots

Instagram is offering parents the tools to monitor their children's digital chats more effectively. This initiative focuses on enhancing the well-being of teens by curbing conversations around sensitive topics. The anticipated updates are expected to launch in the upcoming year. Instagram on Friday unveiled safety features for teenagers who use its artificial intelligence chatbots amid growing concerns over how the chatbots are affecting young people's mental health. The features, which will be rolled out early next year, would give parents more control over how teenagers use Instagram's "AI characters," which have fictional personalities that users can message with as they would other human accounts. Parents would be able to block their children from having conversations with certain AI characters, and Instagram would send them summaries of their children's chats, the company said. Instagram would also limit chatbot conversations on topics like self-harm, eating disorders and romance, while allowing "age-appropriate topics" like education, sports and hobbies. "We hope today's updates bring parents some peace of mind that their teens can make the most of all the benefits AI offers, with the right guardrails and oversight in place," the company said in a blog post. The post was signed by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, and Alexandr Wang, the chief AI officer of Meta, which owns Instagram. AI chatbots, which can generate responses in chats in seemingly humanlike ways, have been under scrutiny for how they affect teens who spend hours a day confiding in them. They have been blamed for driving some children to suicide and sending some adults into delusional spirals. Meta is not the only company contending with how to make its chatbots safer. Last month, OpenAI, the AI startup behind ChatGPT, announced new teen safety features such as parental controls. But Meta's chatbots have faced particular criticism for having sexual conversations with underage users. In August, lawmakers began investigating Meta after Reuters reported that its chatbots were allowed to have provocative conversations about race and medical disinformation. The changes are Instagram's latest major safety update aimed at teens. Last year, the app announced that teen accounts would be private by default, making it more difficult for outsiders to interact with them. On Tuesday, Instagram also said the types of content that teenagers could see would be guided by the PG-13 rating system used by the film industry.

Meta Adds Parental Controls for AI-Teen Interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts, among others. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay. on Tuesday after the announcement.

Meta Tightens AI Safety, Adds Content Limits For Teens - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) remained steady on Friday as it introduced new parental controls designed to enhance teen safety around AI chats across its platforms. The tech giant is ramping up its focus on digital responsibility, empowering parents to better oversee how their teens interact with AI. Meta said it is rolling out enhanced parental supervision options that give families greater control over how teens engage with AI-powered chat features. Also Read: Gold And Tech Are Rising Together -- But History Says One Will Soon Break Parents will soon be able to disable one-on-one conversations between teens and AI characters, block specific virtual assistants, and review insights into what topics their teens are discussing with these AIs. The company said the features are designed to provide parents with more visibility while maintaining age-appropriate learning opportunities. Existing Safeguards And Rollout Timeline Meta emphasized that these additions build on existing protections already applied to teen accounts, including automatic safety measures and AI-assisted detection to flag suspected underage users. The company said the goal is to empower parents as they guide their children through new technologies like AI, ensuring a balance between exploration, creativity, and digital well-being. "We recognize parents already have a lot on their plates... and we're committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them," the company stated. Among the planned updates, parents will be able to shut off AI chat functions entirely or selectively restrict specific characters. Meta's general AI assistant will remain available to offer educational guidance under PG-13 safety standards. No Romantic Content The company added that these AIs are designed to avoid discussions on harmful topics and, when necessary, direct teens toward professional resources. Parents will also be able to set daily usage limits on overall app time, including AI interactions. Meta reiterated that its AI systems already adhere to content moderation standards similar to PG-13 guidelines, thereby avoiding inappropriate themes and romantic content. The company also restricts teen interactions to age-appropriate characters focused on areas such as education, sports, and hobbies. The new controls will first appear on Instagram early next year in English-speaking markets, including the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia. Meta said it will continue refining its teen safety framework as AI technologies evolve. META Price Action: Meta Platforms shares were up 0.16% at $713.20 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Photo by Poetra.RH via Shutterstock METAMeta Platforms Inc $712.360.04% Overview Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions - The Economic Times

Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters - although they won't get access to the full chats.Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots - including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether - beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters - although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie - no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts, among others. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay. on Tuesday after the announcement.

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids' interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots -- including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether -- beginning early next year. But parents won't be able to turn off Meta's AI assistant, which Meta says will "will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe." Parents who don't want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get "insights" about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters -- although they won't get access to the full chats. The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly. On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie -- no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts, among others. Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats. Children's online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical. "From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They're about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn't want to see, and they're about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what's happening on Instagram," said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay. on Tuesday after the announcement. Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press

Meta strengthens parental controls around AI designed for teenagers

On Friday,Meta unveiled new safety tools designed to regulate interactions between teenagers and artificial intelligence characters on its platforms. Parents will soon be able to completely disable conversations between their children and AI agents, block certain characters, or view a summary of the topics discussed. These features, which are still in development phase, will be rolled out from 2026, while the company is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the risks associated with its conversational AI for minors. The announcement comes after a series of controversies, including revelations by Reuters of romantic discussions between Meta chatbots and young children. In response, the company has strengthened its safeguards: its AI must now avoid any sensitive topics, including self-destructive behavior, eating disorders, or emotional interactions. Meta also applies a content filter aligned with the "PG-13" rating, prohibiting any responses deemed inappropriate for the age group. These new measures come on top of existing tools for limiting screen time or monitoring exchanges with specific bots. They come amid increased regulatory pressure: the FTC is evaluating how tech giants protect young users from the emotional and behavioral risks associated with AI. OpenAI, which is also involved in this investigation, has introduced its own parental controls and set up a panel of experts to study the psychological impact of its technologies.