Meta has announced that it will temporarily stop teenagers from using its artificial intelligence characters, according to a blog post published on Friday.
The company, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, said that in the coming weeks, users under the age of 18 will no longer be able to access AI characters while Meta works on improving the feature.
The restriction will also apply to users who claim to be adults but are identified as minors through Meta’s age-check technology.
Teenagers will still be able to use Meta’s AI assistant, but the AI character feature will be removed for them.
The announcement comes just days before Meta, along with TikTok and Google-owned YouTube, is expected to face a trial in Los Angeles over claims that their platforms cause harm to children.
Meta’s decision follows similar steps taken by other tech companies as concerns grow over the impact of AI-powered interactions on young users.
Last year, Character.AI banned teens from using its service and is now facing several lawsuits over child safety, including a case in which a mother claims the company’s chatbot pushed her teenage son toward self-harm.
The move highlights increasing pressure on tech companies to better protect children online.
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