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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

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. Leer más →

OpenAI announced that, once its age‑gating and parental‑control features are fully deployed, the company will allow verified adult users to access erotica through ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman highlighted the move as part of a broader "treat adult users like adults" principle. The plan follows earlier updates that introduced automatic age detection and parental controls, as well as developer guidelines for mature (18+) experiences. The decision comes amid ongoing discussions about AI safety and mental‑health impacts, including reference to a teen suicide linked to ChatGPT usage. Leer más →

A recent survey finds that children as young as kindergarten are experimenting with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini. Usage rates increase with age, reaching 15% among 11- to 12‑year‑olds, while 40% of parents report their under‑12 children using voice assistants like Alexa or Siri. Overall screen engagement remains high, with television, tablets and smartphones dominating daily use. Parents acknowledge difficulty managing this new digital frontier, especially after OpenAI introduced parental controls following a lawsuit alleging a chatbot’s role in a teen suicide. Experts urge parents to educate themselves about AI risks and to guide children on responsible interaction. Leer más →

OpenAI has begun testing a new safety routing system in ChatGPT and introduced parental controls for teen users. The routing feature detects emotionally sensitive conversations and temporarily switches to a GPT‑5 model trained with "safe completions," aiming to prevent harmful interactions that have previously led to legal challenges. Parental controls let guardians set quiet hours, disable voice and memory functions, block image generation, and receive alerts if the system detects self‑harm risk. The changes have sparked mixed reactions, with some praising the added safeguards and others viewing them as overly restrictive. Leer más →

OpenAI is rolling out a suite of parental safety tools for teenagers using ChatGPT. The new features let parents receive notifications if a teen discusses self‑harm or suicide, restrict exposure to graphic or mature content, set usage time windows, and opt out of data training. These measures arrive amid lawsuits alleging the chatbot contributed to a teen's death and follow a similar tragedy involving another AI platform. OpenAI says the updates aim to provide age‑appropriate experiences while balancing teen privacy, and the company expects other AI firms to adopt comparable safeguards. Leer más →