Meta halts teens' access to AI characters globally
Meta will disable AI character chats for teens globally while developing safer, age-appropriate versions with parental controls, responding to parental concerns and regulatory scrutiny.
- Meta Platforms Inc. announced it is pausing teens' access to AI characters globally across all its apps starting in the coming weeks.
- After hearing from parents and guardians wanting more control, Meta Platforms Inc. said it will develop teen-specific AI characters with built-in parental controls.
- Meta will block accounts listing teen birthdays or flagged by age-prediction technology, but teens can still use Meta Platforms Inc.'s AI assistant with new characters focusing on education, sport, hobbies.
- With trials imminent, Meta's pause on teen AI characters comes days before a New Mexico case alleging Meta's failure to protect kids and a Los Angeles case over app harms, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to testify.
- The company had planned to roll out blocking controls early this year but is disabling AI characters for teens while updating to a newer iteration.
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Boston Herald
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Meta is halting teens’ access to artificial intelligence characters, at least temporarily, the company said in a blog post. Meta Platforms Inc., which own Instagram and WhatsApp, said that starting in the “coming weeks,” teens will no longer be able to access AI characters “until the updated experience is ready” This applies to anyone who gave Meta a birthday that makes them a minor, as well as “people who claim to be adults but who we suspect a…
Meta will not allow access to teenagers until it launches new versions of the virtual characters specifically for minors.
Meta to block teen access to AI characters
Meta Platforms said on Friday that it will temporarily block teenagers from accessing its existing AI characters across all of its apps worldwide, as the company works on a revamped version of the feature designed specifically for younger users. The move comes as Meta looks to refine how its AI products interact with teens, amid broader scrutiny over safety, age-appropriate design, and the role of generative AI on social media platforms. “Starti…
The company promises to replace the current characters with specially created versions for minors.
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