Meta has announced that it is pausing teens’ access to AI characters across all of its apps worldwide.
The company said it is not dropping the feature entirely but is working on an updated version designed specifically for teens, Meta told TechCrunch.
The decision comes just days before a legal case against Meta is set to go to trial in New Mexico. The lawsuit accuses the company of failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms. Meanwhile, Wired reported that Meta has recently tried to limit access to internal documents related to social media’s impact on teen mental health.
In October, Meta had previewed parental controls for AI characters that would allow parents and guardians to monitor conversations, block certain topics, and fully disable AI chats for teens. These tools were expected to launch this year, but Meta has now decided to temporarily shut down AI characters for teens while it upgrades them to a newer version.
According to Meta, feedback from parents played a key role in the decision. Many parents asked for better visibility and stronger controls over how their teens interact with AI characters, prompting the company to pause access altogether during the update process.
Meta has been increasing restrictions on teen access to AI features across its platforms. In October, it also rolled out expanded parental controls on Instagram, limiting teen exposure to sensitive topics such as extreme violence, nudity, and graphic drug use. These limits were inspired by the PG-13 movie rating system.
In a blog post, Meta said that in the coming weeks, teens will no longer be able to use AI characters across its apps. This restriction will apply not only to users who list a teen birthday but also to accounts identified as teens using Meta’s age prediction technology.
The company added that once the new AI characters are launched, they will include built-in parental controls and provide age-appropriate responses focused on safe topics like education, sports, and hobbies.
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Meta is currently facing growing regulatory pressure. Alongside the New Mexico case, the company is expected to go to trial next week in a separate lawsuit accusing it of contributing to social media addiction. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify during the proceedings.
