Meta ( Instagram's parent company) has announced that all teenage user accounts will be fenced at PG-13 content, in an effort to enhance protection for users under 18 against online risks.
The move comes after Reuters published a controversial report, revealing that some Meta chatbots may participate in romance or sexiness chats with young users.
The report has prompted Meta to face a wave of backlash and demand stronger action from the company to protect its teenagers.
According to the new statement, Meta is training AI systems to prevent chatbots from participating in flirty conversations, or discuss self-harm and suicide, two sensitive topics that have caused concerns about young people's mental health.
Instagram will also use age prediction technology to automatically activate appropriate content protection layers, even if users declare the wrong real age.
The application of the PG-13 standard is considered a necessary step in the context of Meta being closely monitored by the US government and child protection organizations.
Experts say this is Meta's attempt to demonstrate social responsibility, but it is also an admission that this social network still has many loopholes in controlling content sensitive to minors.
Instagram's PG-13 mode is a set of new regulations and content limits that are applied by default to all user accounts under 18 years old.
The name is inspired by the US film rating system, which is designed to help parents visualize more easily the level of content their children access on the platform.
