Meta to Launch Parental Controls for AI Chatbots on Instagram
MENLO PARK, Calif.- Meta announced today it is developing new supervision controls for instagram that will allow parents to manage their teens’ access to AI chatbots.The tools, slated for rollout in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia early next year, will offer varying levels of restriction, from completely blocking access to all AI chatbots to blocking specific AI characters. Parents will also gain insight into the topics their children are discussing with Meta’s AI bots.
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny following the leak of an internal Meta document revealing its chatbots were capable of engaging in inappropriate conversations with minors.The document detailed instances of chatbots offering suggestive responses to young users, including one example where a chatbot told an eight-year-old, “every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.”
In response to the outcry, Meta began retraining its AI models and implementing initial safeguards shortly after the document surfaced. These included limiting teen interactions to a curated selection of age-appropriate AI characters and guiding AI responses based on PG-13 movie ratings.The new parental controls represent a further step in addressing concerns raised by 44 US Attorneys General, who urged AI companies to protect children ”from exploitation by predatory artificial intelligence products,” and an ongoing inquiry by the Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by senator Josh Hawley (R-MO).
while the new controls will allow for complete blocking of AI chatbot access, teens will still be able to use the general Meta AI chatbot even if their parents restrict access to individual AI characters. Meta notes that the user interface for these tools is still under development and subject to change.
