Meta has launched a new safety features for its AI chatbot to help safeguard teens when making critical decisions. The new update robust protection for users under 18, including with the use of topics like suicide, self-harm, and emotional distress.
The new rules will teens who talk about hurting themselves or thinking about suicide to seek assistance from a trusted adult or a local support service. If the chatbot identifies a potential threat, the chat can be reviewed previous notification to a parent parental supervision features on Meta.
The new system will allow parents to have more visibility and enable teenagers to be supported where they need it when in a challenging situation, the firm said. It isn’t designed to provide parents with full conversations from their child’s chat, but with alerting parents when they might need help, so that they can initiate a discussion at the right moment.
The new update is a part of Meta comprehensive initiative on teen safety implemented during the last year. The company has added AI-powered age verification, enhanced Teen Account protections on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, and added more parental supervision tools to help them build age-appropriate experiences.
Meta stated that the new AI safety tools have been created in consultation with mental health professionals and youth safety experts. The company said the chatbot has been trained to be more responsible in moments where it is needed to be and can guide users towards reliable support resources when needed.
The enhanced parental alerts feature is rolling out in specific countries, such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia, and will roll out to other countries later this year. According to Meta, the initiative is a part of their continued efforts to create safer experiences with AI for teens and provide parents with new tools to help their kids.
