Meta announced on Friday that parents will soon have the ability to disable their teenagers’ private chats with AI characters—a new safety measure for its social media platforms following criticism over flirty chatbots.
The company stated that parents will be able to block specific AI characters and view broad topics their teens discuss with chatbots and Meta’s AI assistant, without completely turning off AI access. Even if parents disable one-on-one chats with AI characters, the AI assistant will remain available with age-appropriate defaults.
“Technology will never replace the value of critical thinking, real-life connections, and human interaction, and that’s not our aim,” Meta said in its announcement. “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.”
### Meta Introduces New Safeguards on Teen Instagram Accounts and PG-13-Guided Content Filters
Meta highlighted that its AI characters are designed not to engage in age-inappropriate discussions with minors on sensitive topics such as self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders.
This announcement follows Meta’s earlier statement this week that its AI experiences for teenagers will be guided by the PG-13 movie rating system. This is part of a broader effort to block children from accessing inappropriate content. The new supervision features will build on existing safety measures for teen accounts, including maintaining age-appropriate conversations.
“We know teens may try to get around these protections, so we’re also using AI technology to place those we suspect are teens into these protections, even if they tell us they’re adults,” Meta added.
### Responding to Criticism and Safety Concerns
A report published in September found that several Instagram safety features were not functioning effectively. The report also observed instances where Meta’s chatbots engaged in “conversations that are romantic or sensual,” which prompted further criticism from parents and child-safety advocates.
In related news, bipartisan senators have called for Instagram to shut down its new map feature due to concerns over children’s safety.
### Availability and Looking Forward
The new parental control features will debut on Instagram early next year in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
“AI is evolving rapidly, which means we are going to need to constantly adapt and strengthen our protections for teens, while listening and responding to concerns parents have about this new technology,” said Meta. “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.”
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