Meta switches off AI characters for teens amid mounting scrutiny
The Facebook owner has paused teen access to its AI characters worldwide, saying it wants to rebuild the feature with stronger parental controls as legal pressure over child safety intensifies.
Meta has suspended access to its AI characters for teenage users across all of its apps, as it works on an updated version designed to give parents greater oversight.
The company said the pause applies globally and will cover users who have registered as teenagers, as well as those it believes are under 18 based on its age-detection systems. Teen access will remain blocked until a revised version of the AI characters is ready.
Meta said it is not abandoning the feature, but responding to feedback from parents who want more visibility and control over how their children interact with artificial intelligence. The new version will include built-in parental controls and is intended to provide age-appropriate responses focused on areas such as education, sport and hobbies.
The move comes at a sensitive moment for the company. Meta is facing a lawsuit in New Mexico accusing it of failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms, with a separate trial over alleged social media addiction due to begin next week. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify in that case.
Pressure on technology companies to tighten safeguards for younger users has been growing. Meta has already introduced broader parental controls on Instagram, while other AI groups have restricted how under-18s can interact with chatbots. The pause underlines how quickly companies are being forced to rethink how generative AI is used by teenagers.
