Meta is introducing a new safety feature that will alert parents if their supervised teen discusses suicide or self-harm with Meta AI. The company has also updated how its AI responds to such conversations and expanded content restrictions for teen accounts.
The feature is currently rolling out in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The tech giant has plans to make this feature available globally by the end of the year.
If a supervised teen shares that they are thinking about suicide or self-harm, Meta AI will encourage them to contact a trusted adult, counsellor or crisis support service.
Parents using Meta's supervision tools will also receive a notification if their teen needs support. The company said the goal is to help parents recognize signs of distress and step in when necessary. It also clarified that the system can identify conversations where a teen may be expressing suicidal thoughts, even if the language is not direct.
Meta said alerts will not be generated automatically. Each conversation flagged by its AI will be reviewed before a notification is sent to a parent.
The company said it will ‘err on the side of caution’ when assessing conversations. If there is uncertainty, parents may still receive an alert rather than risk missing a genuine case where a teen needs help.
To improve Meta AI's responses, the company consulted more than 75 mental health clinicians with experience in adolescent care.
Experts reviewed hundreds of conversations involving teens and evaluated whether the AI responded appropriately. Their feedback was used to improve how Meta AI handles sensitive discussions.
Meta said the updated system is designed to acknowledge a teen's emotions, encourage them to seek help and connect them with relevant support instead of ending the conversation quickly.
Meta is also developing a feature that could allow it to contact emergency services if conversations with Meta AI suggest that a user faces an imminent risk of suicide.
The company already reports credible suicide threats identified on Facebook and Instagram. Meta said it made more than 19,000 referrals to emergency responders worldwide last year, allowing authorities to carry out welfare checks when required.
Also Read: Did Meta Use AI to Decide on Layoffs? Company Responds
Meta is extending Instagram's Limited Content setting to Meta AI chats. Teen Accounts already receive age-appropriate AI responses. Meta AI does not engage in sexual or romantic conversations with teens and does not provide recipes for alcoholic drinks.
With the stricter Limited Content setting enabled, Meta AI will refuse a wider range of sensitive requests. The update builds on Meta's existing parental supervision tools, including alerts when supervised teens repeatedly search for suicide or self-harm-related content on Instagram.
The company said the latest changes are aimed at giving parents more visibility while strengthening protections for teenagers using its AI services.