- Meta blocks AI characters for users under 18
- Parents get expanded control over teen AI chats
- Legal pressure grows over child safety concerns
Meta AI characters ban for teens: Meta announced on Friday that in the coming weeks, teens will be temporarily blocked from accessing existing AI characters across its apps Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. This will apply to users whose age is under 18 based on their date of birth, or those identified as teens by the company’s “age prediction technology.” However, teens will still be able to use Meta’s standard AI assistant, which will continue to have default safety protections based on age. The company is preparing a new updated version, inspired by the PG-13 movie rating system, to prevent exposure to inappropriate content.
New controls for parents
With the launch of new AI characters, parents will get more control over their children’s AI chats. They will be able to completely turn off private chats if they want, block specific characters, and also see information related to their children’s chat topics.
This update was planned to be rolled out in October 2025 and is now being implemented in January 2026. Initially, the feature will be available in the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Meta says this change will help parents better monitor the AI experience of teenage users.
Legal pressure and background
This step comes just ahead of lawsuits in Los Angeles against Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, where they are accused of harming children. In the New Mexico case as well, the company is seeking to exclude research and old references linked to Mark Zuckerberg. Earlier reports had criticized Meta’s chatbots for flirty behavior, after which topics like self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders were restricted.
Steps by other companies
OpenAI has implemented age prediction technology on ChatGPT, which estimates a user’s age based on behavior without manual verification and activates teen safeguards.
Character.AI has banned chatbots for users under 18, especially after the Florida case where the suicide of a 14-year-old was linked to a chatbot.
Utkarsh works as a Sub-Editor at 1Tak News. Technology and gadgets are his main beats, and he also tracks automobiles. A graduate of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, he began his journalism career in 2023 and has built experience across digital media platforms like 1Tak. Besides technology, he also has considerable experience covering national affairs, politics, research, and international news.
