Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Instagram and WhatsApp, has stated that it will temporarily halt access to artificial intelligence (AI) characters for teenagers.
The restriction will take effect in the ‘coming weeks’, and the ban applies to users whose Meta accounts indicate they are minors, as well as ‘people who claim to be adults but who we suspect are teens based on our age prediction technology’.
Teens will still be able to use Meta’s AI assistant, however the AI characters feature will remain unavailable ‘until the updated experience is ready’, the company confirmed.
The decision comes just a week before Meta, alongside TikTok and Google’s YouTube, has been scheduled to face trial in Los Angeles over alleged harms caused by its apps to children. The trial will examine claims that social media platforms negatively affect youth mental health and safety.
Other major tech companies have also limited access for teenagers to AI chatbots amid growing concerns about children’s interactions with artificial intelligence. Character.AI, for example, implemented a ban last fall on teen users. The company is currently facing several lawsuits regarding child safety, including one filed by a mother who alleges that the chatbot encouraged her teenage son to harm himself.
Industry experts have raised alarms over AI-driven content targeting younger audiences, citing potential risks such as exposure to inappropriate material, manipulative conversations, and mental health impacts. Regulators and advocacy groups have increasingly called for stricter safeguards to protect minors online.
Meta stressed that the temporary pause is meant to ensure a safer and age-appropriate AI experience for teens, and noted that the updates will roll out once safety and usability improvements are implemented, without specifying a timeline for resuming access.
