Meta previews parental controls over teen AI character chats
Parents will soon be able to disable AI-character chats for teens or selectively block individual characters while still allowing general AI access.
Meta has previewed upcoming parental control features for its AI experiences, particularly aimed at teens’ interactions with AI characters. The new tools are expected to roll out next year.
Under the proposed controls, parents will be able to turn off chats between teens and AI characters altogether, though the broader Meta AI chatbot remains accessible. They can also block specific characters if they wish. Parents will receive topic summaries of what teens are discussing with AI characters and with Meta AI itself.
The first deployment will be on Instagram, with initial availability in English for the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Meta says it recognises the challenges parents face in guiding children through new technology, and wants these tools to simplify oversight.
Meta also notes that AI content and experiences intended for teens will follow a PG-13 standard: avoiding extreme violence, nudity and graphic drug content. Teens currently interact with only a limited set of AI characters under age-appropriate guidelines.
Additionally, Meta plans to allow time limits on AI character use by teens. The company is also detecting and discouraging attempts by users to falsify their age to bypass restrictions.
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