Meta is all set to let parents disable their teens’ private chats with AI characters, after criticism that its “flirty” chatbots had raised concerns about safety and oversight.
Under the forthcoming changes, parents in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia will be able to block individual AI characters and see broad topics their teens have discussed with chatbots — without cutting off all AI access.
Meta said that the new tools, set to launch early next year, will build on existing protections already applied to teenage accounts, using AI signals to flag users under additional safeguards even if they claim to be older.
The move comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny over AI platforms and after reports that some of Meta’s AI rules allowed provocative conversations involving minors.
Meta also said it will adopt a PG-13 rating system for its AI experiences for teens to avoid inappropriate content.