Meta has paused teens’ access to its AI characters across all of its apps globally. The company stated this is not an abandonment of the feature, but a step to develop an updated version specifically for teens.
This move comes shortly before a trial is set to begin in New Mexico, where Meta faces accusations of failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms. Reports also indicate Meta has sought to limit legal discovery related to social media’s impact on teen mental health.
In October, Meta previewed parental controls for its AI experiences, which would have allowed guardians to monitor topics and block specific characters or turn off chats entirely. These features were scheduled for release this year, but instead, the company is now disabling AI characters for teens altogether while it works on the new version.
Meta explained the decision was driven by feedback from parents who wanted more insight and control over their teens’ interactions with AI characters. The company has been increasingly restricting teen access to AI content; in October, it also rolled out parental controls on Instagram inspired by a PG-13 rating, limiting teen exposure to topics like extreme violence, nudity, and graphic drug use.
In a blog post update, Meta said, “Starting in the coming weeks, teens will no longer be able to access AI characters across our apps until the updated experience is ready. This will apply to anyone who has given us a teen birthday, as well as people who claim to be adults but who we suspect are teens based on our age prediction technology.”
When the new AI characters launch, they will include built-in parental controls. Meta stated these updated characters will provide age-appropriate responses and focus on topics like education, sports, and hobbies.
Social media companies are under significant regulatory scrutiny. Beyond the New Mexico case, Meta faces an upcoming trial accusing the platform of causing social media addiction, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify.
Other AI companies have also modified their offerings for younger users. In October, Character.AI discontinued open-ended chatbot conversations for users under 18, later announcing plans for interactive stories for kids. Recently, OpenAI implemented new teen safety rules for ChatGPT and began predicting user ages to apply content restrictions.
A correction notes that the new version of Meta’s AI characters will be accessible to everyone, not just teens, when it launches, and it will include parental controls.