Meta is enhancing parental controls for teenagers interacting with AI chatbots on its platforms, especially Instagram. Starting early next year, parents will be able to fully disable their teens’ private chats with AI characters or selectively block access to specific AI personas they find inappropriate. Despite these restrictions, Meta’s general-purpose AI assistant will remain accessible to provide age-appropriate information and educational content.
Parents will also receive high-level insights into the topics their children discuss with AI chatbots and Meta’s AI assistant, though specifics of how this data is presented remain limited. The goal is to equip parents with tools to better understand and guide their teens’ AI interactions.
These new controls come as part of Meta’s broader effort to address safety concerns and criticism regarding AI chatbots’ impact on minors, including reports of inappropriate interactions and growing regulatory scrutiny. Initially, the parental controls will roll out on Instagram in English-speaking regions like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with plans to expand to other platforms later.
Meta emphasizes that its AI content for teens will adhere to PG-13 movie rating standards, avoiding sensitive topics such as self-harm, violence, and explicit content, to foster a safer online experience for younger users.
This update marks a significant move by Meta to provide parents peace of mind while allowing teens to benefit from AI technology responsibly.