Meta Halts AI Characters for Teen Users Worldwide
Meta Platforms has decided to temporarily suspend access to its AI characters for teenage users worldwide. The company said that until a new and updated experience is rolled out, teenagers will no longer be able to use AI characters across Meta’s apps, including Facebook and Instagram. Reuters reported the development.
According to a Reuters report, Meta announced the decision in a blog post on teen safety published on Friday, stating that the change will take effect within the next few weeks. Once the updated version is launched, it will include enhanced parental control features, allowing guardians to better monitor and manage teenagers’ AI-related usage.
Earlier, in October last year, Meta had announced a parental control feature that would allow parents to disable private chats between teenagers and AI characters. The move came amid criticism over allegations of “overly intimate” or inappropriate behavior associated with AI interactions on social media platforms. However, Meta acknowledged that the parental control feature announced at that time has not yet been implemented.
Meta also said that its AI experiences for teenagers will be governed by principles similar to the PG-13 movie rating system, aimed at preventing access to inappropriate content. Meanwhile, regulatory scrutiny over the potential negative impacts of AI chatbots on young users has been increasing in the United States and several other countries. In this context, observers view Meta’s decision as a significant step toward strengthening protections for teenage users.
DBTech/BMT/OR
