Meta Pauses Teen Access to AI Characters Amid Scrutiny

6 hours ago 3

January 26, 2026 | 05:14 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Meta is pausing teenage access to its AI characters globally across all apps. This policy is implemented ahead of the development of a new version of AI characters specifically designed for teenage users, as reported by Tech Crunch on Friday, January 23, 2026.

"[Meta] is not abandoning its efforts but wants to develop an updated version of AI characters for teens," the company said to Tech Crunch.

This decision comes amid increasing scrutiny on child protection in digital platforms. The announcement came just days before Meta faces a trial in New Mexico, United States, for alleged failure to protect children from sexual exploitation on its app.

Previously, last October, Meta introduced a preview of parental control features for AI characters. The feature allows parents to monitor conversation topics, block certain characters, and even completely disable teenagers' interaction with AI characters.

Meta decides to block teenage access to AI characters ahead of new features' release later this year, after receiving input from parents who desired greater control and transparency over their children's interactions with AI.

Meta stated that the latest version of AI characters will come with built-in parental controls and will be designed to provide age-appropriate responses. These AI characters will also be limited to specific topics such as education, sports, and hobbies.

Meta's move is in line with the increasing pressure on technology and AI companies. In recent months, several AI and social media companies have also adjusted features for teenagers, following lawsuits and regulator concerns related to the impact of technology on children's safety and mental health.

Read: Musk's xAI Curbs Sexually Explicit Image Generation in Grok

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