Meta has announced that it is temporarily suspending the ability for teenagers to chat with its AI characters in order to work on a new version that promises a superior user experience. This decision follows Meta’s earlier commitment to implement more robust parental controls for teen AI interactions, as disclosed in a blog post from October.
According to a Meta spokesperson, the company is currently in the process of creating an improved iteration of AI characters for both adults and teens. To avoid duplicating efforts in developing parental controls, access for teens to the current AI characters will be paused until the updated version is ready. The new iteration will incorporate enhanced parental oversight features.
Responding to parental feedback, Meta acknowledged the desire for greater insights and control over teenagers’ interactions with AI characters, prompting these recent adjustments. Notably, parents will soon have the ability to restrict one-on-one conversations between their teens and AI characters, block specific AI character engagements, and receive insights into their teens’ AI interactions.
In a related move last year, Meta adjusted Instagram’s teen accounts to align content visibility with viewership standards akin to a movie rated for individuals aged 13 and above.
Source: The Verge