On January 23 (local time), Meta announced an update to its safety protocols for teenage users. The company stated that, as it develops a new iteration of AI character features, it will temporarily disable access to existing AI characters for all teenage users worldwide. Over the coming weeks—prior to the launch of the updated experience—teenagers will be unable to interact with AI characters across Meta’s applications. This restriction applies to two groups: users who have voluntarily provided their age as teenage, and those who claim to be adults but are subsequently identified as teenagers through Meta’s age-prediction technology.

During this interim period, teenagers will still have access to practical information and educational resources via Meta’s AI assistant. Furthermore, age-appropriate safeguards will remain enabled by default to ensure a secure and responsible user experience.