Meta announced on Friday that parents will soon have the option to turn off private chats between their teenagers and AI characters. This initiative comes as part of Meta’s ongoing efforts to enhance safety on its social media platform, following criticism regarding the frivolity of certain chatbots.
The company stated that parents can block specific AI characters and monitor various topics their teens discuss with chatbots and Meta’s AI assistants, while still maintaining some access to AI features.
Even if private chats with AI characters are disabled, the AI assistant will remain accessible with settings appropriate for different age groups.
“Technology isn’t a substitute for critical thinking, real-life connections, and personal relationships; that’s not our goal,” Mehta remarked during the announcement. “We believe that, with suitable age-appropriate safeguards, AI can enhance traditional methods of learning in a collaborative way.”
Meta also stated that its AI characters are programmed to avoid engaging minors in age-inappropriate discussions about sensitive issues like self-harm and eating disorders.
This announcement follows an earlier statement from Meta indicating that the AI experiences for teenagers will align with the PG-13 movie rating, aiming to restrict explicit content access for younger users.
The new safety features build upon existing measures aimed at keeping conversations suitable for teens.
Mehta noted, “We are aware that teenagers might attempt to bypass these protections, so we use AI technology to ensure that anyone suspected of being a teenager is subject to these safeguards, even if they claim to be an adult.”
A report from September highlighted some inefficiencies in Instagram’s safety features, revealing that Meta’s chatbots have occasionally engaged in romantic conversations, which has drawn further disapproval from parents and child advocacy groups.
This new functionality will be rolled out on Instagram in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia early next year.
“AI is changing rapidly, and it’s crucial for us to consistently adapt and reinforce protections for teens while being responsive to parents’ concerns about this technology,” Mehta added. “We hope these updates reassure parents that with appropriate oversight, their teens can fully benefit from the advantages that AI offers.”
