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Meta to Roll Out Feature Giving Parents Access to Their Child's AI Search Topics on Facebook and Instagram

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<p>The social media giant is rolling out changes to how parents can access their child's Meta AI search history while using supervision mode.</p>

Summary

Meta is introducing enhanced supervision tools in Australia that allow parents to monitor the specific topics their teenagers interact with via Meta AI on Facebook and Instagram. These updates include automated alerts for content related to suicide or self-harm and the formation of an AI Wellbeing Expert Council to guide safety policy. While focusing on immediate online safety and psychological harms rather than existential risks, the move demonstrates a corporate governance response to regional regulatory pressures regarding minor protection. These safeguards represent a shift toward increased transparency in how frontier AI models interact with vulnerable demographic groups within the Australian digital ecosystem.

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Australian parents will soon be able to access the topics their teenager has browsed using AI on Meta-owned platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.The social media giant is rolling out changes to how parents can access their child's Meta AI search history while using supervision mode.Meta AI is a chat tool that is embedded in Facebook, Messenger and Instagram and includes an AI character feature, which can be blocked.READ MORE:  'Salt to the wound': Australia's biggest bank to slash 119 jobsThe social media giant is rolling out changes to how parents can access their teenager's Meta AI search history. (Supplied)The US-owned technology company will now introduce safeguards to allow parents visability of their child's recent AI interactions in Meta's "family centre".The feature, which shares "insights" into topics searched through Meta AI, was initially trialled in October last year and will be permanently introduced in Australia, the UK, US, Canada and Brazil in the next few weeks."Starting soon, parents using supervision on Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram will see a new Insights section in the Family Centre," a Meta spokesperson said."From there, parents will be able to see the topics their teen has been asking Meta AI about in that specific app over the past week."Topics can range from School, Entertainment, and Lifestyle to Travel, Writing, and Health and Wellbeing."READ MORE: 'Blanket wipeout': Families in fear as 160,000 face being booted off NDISMeta has already added an alert which tells parents if their teenager engages in suicide or self-harm content on Meta AI. (Getty)The changes will be available to parents who supervise their teenager's social media use via Teen Accounts on Meta.In Australia, children under the age of 16 are banned from accessing social media, including almost all of Meta's platforms.Meta allows children aged 13 and over to sign up for Facebook and Instagram in most other jurisdictions.To be supervised by an adult on Meta, teens must be aged between 13 and 17.Meta has already added an alert which tells parents if their teenager engages in suicide or self-harm content on Meta AI.As part of its sweeping AI changes, Meta will offer "conversation starters" for parents on how to chat with their children about AI use.A group of experts will form Meta's new AI Wellbeing Expert Council to guide the social media giant through the rapidly-changing climate of AI technology.Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google PlayMake 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box hereSign up to our breaking newsletter here