Meta said it is rolling out new safety features aimed at ensuring teenagers have "age-appropriate experiences" while using its artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
The update also introduces new safeguards designed to keep parents informed during potentially harmful situations.
The company said the latest measures focus on handling conversations related to suicide and self-harm more responsibly. They also include proactive alerts for parents and, where necessary, guidance encouraging users to seek help from emergency services.
“This means acknowledging teens' feelings while helping them get the offline support they need — whether that's from a parent, a professional helpline, or the emergency services,” Meta said in an announcement.
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Earlier, if a teenager shared any thoughts related to self-harm, Meta AI would provide information about crisis helplines and encourage them to reach out to a trusted adult. The company said it is now taking a more proactive approach.
Using a dedicated AI system that is developed in collaboration with safety experts, Meta said it will alert supervising parents if a teen's conversation suggests a potential risk of self-harm, even when the references are subtle.
“We worked with parents and experts to understand which AI conversations warrant an alert — such as those where a teen makes a clear reference to hurting themselves, even if that reference is subtle,” Meta added.
While Meta acknowledged that such alerts could be distressing for families, it said that it has introduced a strict review process before notifying parents. The company said every conversation flagged by its AI system will be manually reviewed before an alert is sent.
If, after the review, a teenager's intent remains unclear, Meta said it will err on the side of caution and notify the supervising parent.
“While that means we may sometimes notify parents when there may not be a real cause for concern, we feel this is the right starting point, and we'll continue to monitor to help make sure we're in the right place,” the company added, according to reports.
Larry Magid, CEO and CO-founder of Connectsafely, said that teenagers have the right to privacy but “I also believe parents need to be informed if their teen may be at risk of hurting themselves,” Magid said.
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“That's why I advocated for this approach and support Meta's decision to notify parents when, after careful review, it determines that a conversation with Meta AI contains indications of possible suicide or self-harm that warrant an alert,” she added.
“I appreciate how Meta struck the right balance; protecting teen privacy while ensuring parents have the information they need to support their teen,” Larry Magid concluded.
The feature is currently available to parents using Instagram's parental supervision tools in the US, the UK, Australia and Canada.
Meta also said it plans to expand the rollout globally by the end of the year, building on existing alerts triggered when teenagers repeatedly search for self-harm-related terms on the platform.
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