Meta Suspends Teen Access to AI Characters for Safety Updates

Meta announced on Friday that it will temporarily restrict access for teenagers to existing AI characters across its social media platforms while it works on new versions designed with enhanced safety measures.

“In the coming weeks, teens will not be able to use AI characters across our apps until the updated versions are fully operational,” the company stated in a blog update.

This suspension will affect all users who have identified themselves as teenagers by providing a birthday and those identified as teens through predictive age technology.

The move follows Meta’s preview in October of new safety protocols, which will allow parents to disable private chats between teens and AI characters. This comes amid concerns regarding chatbots engaging in inappropriate flirtations.

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Meta indicated that the new tools will let parents block specific AI characters and keep track of topics their teens are discussing with chatbots and Meta’s AI assistants. However, complete access to AI will not be cut off.

While these control features aren’t available yet, Meta plans to integrate parental controls into the updated AI versions once they’re launched. For now, teens will still have access to Meta’s AI assistant with “age-appropriate protections.”

Previously, Meta stated that its AI characters are designed to avoid discussions that are unsuitable for minors, touching on sensitive subjects like self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders.

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The company plans for a youth-oriented AI experience that aligns with the PG-13 movie rating, aiming to block children’s access to inappropriate content.

This initiative for updated safety measures comes after a report from September highlighted that some of Instagram’s protective features were not functioning effectively. The report indicated that Meta’s chatbot had engaged in “romantic or sensual conversations,” raising alarms among parents and child safety advocates.

Meta has been contacted for further information regarding these changes.