Meta announced that it will allow parents to disable private chats between teens and AI characters, adding an extra layer of protection to its social media platforms a criticism over the flirty behavior of its AI chatbots.

Earlier this week, the company said its AI experiences for teens will follow the PG-13 movie rating system to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content.

U.S. regulators have intensified scrutiny of AI companies due to potential risks to children, especially after reports showed that Meta’s AI previously allowed inappropriate conversations with teens.

According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, the new features will launch on Instagram in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia early next year.

Parents will be able to block specific AI characters, review broad topics their teens discuss with the chatbots, and control AI interactions without completely disabling AI access.

Even if one-on-one chats with AI characters are disabled, Meta’s AI assistant will remain available with age-appropriate settings.

The company said these supervision tools build on protections already in place for teen accounts and use AI signals to safeguard teens who may misrepresent their age.

Meta emphasized that its AI characters are designed not to engage in age-inappropriate discussions, including topics such as self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders.