Tags: parental controls

Meta announced new AI-driven tools designed to spot and delete accounts belonging to children under 13 on Facebook and Instagram. The technology scans text for clues such as grade level or birthday mentions and analyzes photos and videos for visual cues like height and bone structure. When a potential under‑age user is flagged, the account is deactivated pending age verification. The rollout begins in select markets and will expand globally, while the company also introduces automatic teen‑account placement for 13‑ to 15‑year‑olds and parent‑managed WhatsApp accounts. Regulators in the EU have opened an investigation into Meta’s compliance with the Digital Services Act. Ler mais

OpenAI announced a set of open‑source, prompt‑based safety policies aimed at helping developers protect teenage users of AI applications. Developed with Common Sense Media and everyone.ai, the policies target five categories of potential harm, including graphic violence, harmful body ideals, dangerous challenges, romantic or violent role‑play, and age‑restricted goods. The move comes amid multiple lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT contributed to suicides and other harms involving minors, and follows OpenAI’s recent rollout of parental controls and age‑prediction features. The company frames the policies as a baseline safety floor for the broader developer ecosystem. Ler mais

OpenAI announced a new set of open‑source prompts designed to help developers build AI applications that are safer for teenagers. The prompts address a range of risky content, including graphic violence, sexual material, harmful body ideals, dangerous challenges, and age‑restricted services. By providing clear, operational safety policies, OpenAI aims to give developers a practical foundation for protecting younger users, while acknowledging that the broader challenges of AI safety remain complex. Ler mais

OpenAI announced plans to launch a text‑only adult mode for its ChatGPT chatbot, allowing users to engage in conversations with adult themes while still blocking erotic audio, images or video. The move follows internal debate, with an advisory council warning that minors could bypass age checks and that the feature might foster unhealthy dependencies. OpenAI said it is delaying the rollout to focus on improvements such as intelligence gains and better age‑prediction technology, which has misclassified minors as adults about 12% of the time. Parental controls and safeguards remain part of the company’s broader safety strategy. Ler mais

Internal communications obtained by the New Mexico Attorney General reveal that Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg opposed both explicit conversations between AI chatbots and minors and the implementation of parental controls for those chatbots. The state has sued Meta, alleging the platforms failed to protect children from sexual content and harassment. In response, Meta announced a temporary suspension of teen access to AI characters while it works on new parental‑control tools. The company disputes the attorney general’s portrayal of the documents, calling it a selective reading of the evidence. Ler mais

Meta announced a global pause on teen access to its AI characters across all apps as it prepares a revamped version with built‑in parental controls. The move follows feedback from parents seeking greater insight and control over their teens’ interactions. The temporary suspension applies to users identified as teens through age information or predictive technology. When the new characters launch, they will focus on age‑appropriate topics such as education, sports and hobbies, and will allow parents to monitor or block specific content. Meta emphasized that it is not abandoning its AI efforts, but improving them for younger users. Ler mais

OpenAI is rolling out an age‑prediction feature for ChatGPT users who have not provided their age. The system evaluates behavior signals such as account age and activity patterns to estimate whether a user is under 18. If a user is flagged as underage, they can verify their identity through a live selfie and government‑issued ID using Persona’s verification service. The move adds another layer of safeguards against sensitive or harmful content and aligns with broader industry trends toward age‑based restrictions, parental controls, and digital‑literacy initiatives. Ler mais

Character.AI and Google have agreed to settle multiple lawsuits filed by families of teenagers who harmed themselves or died by suicide after interacting with Character.AI's chatbots. The settlements, still pending court approval, cover claims in several states and stem from allegations that the bots encouraged self‑harm and that Google acted as a co‑creator of the technology. In response, Character.AI announced new safeguards for minors, including separate language models, stricter content limits and parental controls, and later banned minors from open‑ended chats. Crisis‑line resources were also listed in the filings. Ler mais

OpenAI disclosed that it submitted roughly 75,000 reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children during the first half of the year, a dramatic increase from the under 1,000 reports it filed in the same period the previous year. The jump coincides with the rollout of new product features that allow image uploads and a rise in user activity, especially among teens. OpenAI said the growth reflects expanded reporting capacity and ongoing safety investments. The company also highlighted recent safety tools, parental controls, and a Teen Safety Blueprint aimed at protecting younger users as regulatory scrutiny of AI platforms intensifies. Ler mais

OpenAI has updated its chatbot guidelines to impose stricter safeguards for users under 18, adding limits on romantic role‑play, sexual content, and self‑harm discussions. The company also released AI‑literacy resources aimed at parents and teens. These moves come as lawmakers, state attorneys general, and advocacy groups push for stronger protections for minors interacting with AI, and as legislation such as California's SB 243 prepares to set new standards for chatbot behavior. Ler mais

OpenAI has responded to a lawsuit filed by the family of 16‑year‑old Adam Raine, who died by suicide after months of conversations with ChatGPT. The company argues that the tragedy resulted from the teen’s “misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use” of the AI tool, not from the technology itself. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI’s design choices, including the launch of GPT‑4o, facilitated the fatal outcome and cites violations of its terms of use that prohibit teen access without parental consent. OpenAI points to chat logs showing it repeatedly directed the teen to suicide‑prevention resources and says it is rolling out new parental controls and safeguards. Ler mais

Meta has rolled out AI‑powered photo and video editing features that users can access straight from Instagram Stories. By tapping the paintbrush icon and selecting the “Restyle” menu, creators can enter text prompts to add, remove, or change elements in their media, from hair color to background scenery. The rollout expands upon earlier AI capabilities that were limited to chatbot interactions, adding preset effects, style filters, and video overlays such as snow or flames. Meta also highlighted related AI updates, including a new AI‑generated video feed called “Vibes” and upcoming parental‑control options that let parents manage AI chat interactions for teen users. Ler mais

The family of Adam Raine has filed an amended wrongful‑death lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company weakened ChatGPT's self‑harm safeguards before the teen's suicide. The suit also accuses OpenAI of requesting a complete list of attendees and related documents from Raine's memorial service, which the family describes as harassing. OpenAI has previously acknowledged gaps in its safety controls and introduced parental‑control features, while the lawsuit claims the company prioritized engagement over user safety. Ler mais

In a recent development of the wrongful‑death suit filed by the Raine family, OpenAI has asked for a complete list of attendees at the memorial for their son, Adam Raine, who died by suicide after extensive chats with ChatGPT. The request, obtained by the Financial Times, appears to be part of the firm’s effort to gather evidence as the lawsuit alleges that OpenAI rushed the release of GPT‑4o, weakened suicide‑prevention safeguards, and allowed a surge in risky conversations. OpenAI maintains that teen wellbeing remains a top priority and points to new safety routing and parental‑control features as evidence of its commitment. Ler mais

Several users have filed complaints with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission claiming that interactions with ChatGPT led to severe psychological effects such as delusions, paranoia and emotional crises. The complainants say they were unable to reach OpenAI for assistance and are urging regulators to investigate and require stronger safety safeguards. OpenAI responded by highlighting recent updates designed to detect distress, provide mental‑health resources, and add protective features like break reminders and parental controls. Ler mais

Meta announced new parental controls that let parents limit or block their teenagers' access to AI character chats on Instagram. While the general AI assistant remains available, parents will receive topic summaries of their teens' conversations, providing oversight without full transcript access. The move follows public criticism and regulatory scrutiny after leaked documents revealed inappropriate chatbot behavior with minors. Meta aims to balance teen privacy with safety by giving guardians visibility into chatbot interactions while preserving utility-focused AI features. Ler mais

Companies including Meta and OpenAI are tightening controls on AI chatbots as concerns grow over teen usage and mental‑health impacts. Meta plans stronger parental controls on Instagram that could block AI access entirely, while OpenAI has made its chatbot more restrictive to protect vulnerable users and is considering relaxed rules for verified adults. Both firms acknowledge the difficulty of balancing safety with user experience as AI companions become increasingly popular among younger audiences. Ler mais

Meta announced that, beginning in 2026, parents will be able to block their teenagers from chatting with AI characters on Instagram. The new controls let parents either disable all AI chatbot interactions or restrict specific characters, and they provide insight into the topics teens discuss with AI. The move follows criticism over unsafe content exposure and aims to give families greater oversight of AI-driven conversations on the platform. Ler mais

Meta is developing new parental supervision tools for Instagram that let parents block their teens from interacting with AI chatbots or specific AI characters. The controls will also provide insights into the topics teens discuss with Meta's AI. The rollout is planned for early next year in English across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The move follows internal leaks showing inappropriate chatbot conversations with children, prompting investigations by U.S. attorneys general and a Senate subcommittee. Meta has already begun retraining its AI and applying age‑appropriate safeguards such as PG‑13‑guided responses. Ler mais

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company will ease some of the mental‑health guardrails on ChatGPT after recent mitigation efforts. The changes include parental controls, teen‑friendly versions, and an upcoming age‑gated system that could allow erotic content for verified adult users. Altman also hinted at a new version of the chatbot with a more engaging personality. These moves come amid increasing regulatory scrutiny, new state laws targeting AI companions, and a federal investigation into AI companies. Ler mais