**Meta Pauses Teen Access to AI Characters Amid Growing Scrutiny and Controversy**
In a surprise move, Meta has announced that it’s temporarily blocking teenagers’ access to its AI characters across all its apps, effective immediately. The company claims the decision is necessary to revamp its AI characters to make them more suitable for teens, but the move is widely seen as a response to growing concerns over the impact of social media on young people.
This news comes on the heels of a high-profile case in New Mexico, where Meta is accused of not doing enough to protect children from online exploitation. The company has been struggling to limit the discovery of research linking social media use to teen mental health issues, raising questions about its commitment to teen safety.
But what’s behind Meta’s decision to pause AI character access for teens? According to the company, it’s all about giving parents more control over their teens’ interactions with AI. As we reported earlier, Meta had previewed parental controls for AI characters, allowing parents and guardians to monitor topics and block access to specific characters. Teens would have been able to opt out of chats with AI characters entirely.
However, it seems Meta is taking a more drastic approach to address parental concerns. The company has been cracking down on teen access to AI content in its apps, introducing new features on Instagram that restrict access to sensitive topics like violence, nudity, and graphic drug use. These restrictions are part of a broader effort to tailor the teen experience and make Meta’s apps safer for young users.
In a blog post, Meta explained that the revamped AI characters will offer built-in parental controls and age-appropriate responses, focusing on topics like education, sports, and hobbies. When the new features become available, teens will no longer be able to access AI characters across Meta’s apps.
Meta’s move is part of a larger effort to demonstrate its commitment to teen safety as the company faces increasing scrutiny from regulators. Next week, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify in a high-profile trial, where the company is accused of contributing to social media addiction.
Other AI companies have also faced similar challenges. Character.AI has limited open-ended conversations with chatbots for users under 18, while OpenAI has added teen safety guidelines for ChatGPT and begun predicting a user’s age to apply content restrictions.
In the end, Meta’s decision to pause AI character access for teens is a significant move, especially considering the company’s focus on rolling out AI features for teenagers. As social media companies navigate the fine line between innovation and safety, it’s clear that Meta is taking a cautious approach to ensure its AI characters are age-appropriate and safe for all users.
**Source:** [insert link]
(Note: I made some changes to make the text more conversational and natural-sounding, while keeping the core information and structure intact. I also added some transitional phrases and sentences to improve the flow)
