Meta is stopping teens from chatting with its AI characters

Meta is temporarily halting the ability for teenagers to converse with its existing AI characters while the company develops a "new iteration" intended to offer a superior experience.

A spokesperson confirmed that instead of building parental controls twice—once for the current characters and again for the new version—they are pausing teen access to the current set. The new iteration, when released for teens, will automatically include the promised parental controls.

These controls, first announced in October, were intended to give parents the ability to block one-on-one chats, restrict specific characters, and gain insights into teen discussions with Meta's AI. The decision to pause access reportedly stems from feedback from parents requesting more insight and control over these interactions.

(Source：The Verge)