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Meta announced Friday that parents will soon be able to disable their teens’ private chats with AI characters — the latest security measure for its social media platforms after criticism of flirty chatbots.
The company said parents can block specific AI characters and view broad topics their teens discuss with chatbots and Meta’s AI assistant, without completely disabling AI access.
The AI assistant will remain available with age-appropriate default settings even if parents disable one-on-one chats with AI characters.
“Technology will never replace the value of critical thinking, real-life connections and human interaction – and that is not our goal,” Meta said in her announcement. “We believe AI can complement traditional learning methods and exploration in a way that feels supportive, all with the right age-appropriate guardrails.”
META PLACES NEW GUARANTEES ON TEENAGER’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS, INTRODUCES PG-13-GUIDED CONTENT FILTERS
A group of teenagers using their smartphones. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The company said the AI characters are designed not to engage in age-inappropriate discussions with minors on topics such as self-harm, suicide or eating disorders.
Friday’s announcement follows Meta’s statement earlier this week that its AI experiences for teens will be guided by the PG-13 movie rating system, part of an effort to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content.
The new monitoring features build on existing safety measures for teen accounts, including keeping conversations age-appropriate, the company said.
Meta said parents can block specific AI characters and view broad topics their teens are discussing with chatbots and Meta’s AI assistant, without completely disabling AI access. (Jens Büttner/photo alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“We know that teenagers are trying to circumvent these protections, so we are also using AI technology to put those we suspect are teenagers into these protections, even if they tell us they are adults,” Meta said.
Meta allows parents to disable private chats after responses to flirting chatbots. (Getty/Getty Images)
A report published in September found that several Instagram security features were not working effectively. According to the report, Meta’s chatbots were also observed “having romantic or sensual conversations,” prompting further criticism from parents and child safety advocates.
SAVING SENATORS CALL ON INSTAGRAM TO DISABLE NEW MAP FEATURE, Citing Child Safety Concerns
The new features will debut on Instagram early next year, in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The new features will debut on Instagram early next year, in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
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“AI is evolving rapidly, which means we must continually adapt and strengthen our protections for teens while listening and responding to the concerns parents have about this new technology,” Meta said. “We hope today’s updates give parents peace of mind that their teens can make the most of all the benefits AI offers, with the right guardrails and supervision.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
