Meta Introduces Parental Controls to Limit Children’s Interactions with AI Chatbots

Meta is implementing new safeguards to protect minors on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and the Meta AI app, by allowing parents to block their children’s interactions with AI chatbots. These measures, set to roll out in early 2026 in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, respond to concerns about inappropriate conversations between user-created AI characters and under-18s. Parents can disable chatbot interactions entirely or block specific AI characters, while also gaining insights into the topics their children discuss with these bots. This aims to facilitate meaningful discussions about safe AI use. The changes follow reports of chatbots engaging in romantic or sensual conversations with minors, which Meta acknowledged should not have been permitted. Additionally, Instagram is adopting a PG-13-style rating system to restrict discussions on sensitive topics like self-harm, suicide, or disordered eating, limiting teens to age-appropriate subjects such as education and sports. The updates come after backlash, including reports from Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, which highlighted instances of inappropriate chatbot interactions, such as a John Cena-voiced bot making suggestive remarks to a user posing as a minor. Meta has since revised its guidelines to prevent such interactions.