Meta Adds Parental Controls for AI Chatbots on Instagram
So, Meta is trying to get ahead of the curve after some pretty serious concerns were raised about their AI chatbots interacting with kids. It seems they're developing new tools that will give parents more control over what their teens are doing on platforms like Instagram. Basically, parents will have the ability to cut off their kids' access to these AI chatbots completely.
However, it's not an all-or-nothing situation. If parents aren't ready to pull the plug entirely, they can block specific AI characters that they deem inappropriate. Plus, they'll also be able to see what topics their children are discussing with the bots. To me, that sounds like a reasonable approach, offering flexibility based on each family's needs.
It's worth remembering that these controls are still under development. The screenshots we're seeing now might not be exactly what rolls out early next year, when Meta plans to launch these features in English for users in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
The pressure on Meta really ramped up after internal documents leaked, revealing some pretty disturbing interactions between their chatbots and young users. I mean, imagine an AI telling an eight-year-old something like "every inch of you is a masterpiece". That's just not okay.
Because of this, there was swift backlash, with attorneys general and even a Senate subcommittee getting involved. Since then, Meta has been scrambling to retrain its AI, add protections, and limit the types of AI characters teens can interact with. They've also introduced measures to ensure AI responses align with PG-13 movie ratings, which, while not perfect, is definitely a step in the right direction.
Source: Engadget