Meta has introduced new safety features that notify parents if their teenager discusses suicide or self-harm with the company's Meta AI chatbot, as it strengthens safeguards for young users.

The update comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny over how AI chatbots respond to users experiencing mental health crises, particularly teenagers.

Parents to Receive AI Safety Alerts

Meta said it has developed a dedicated AI system capable of identifying conversations in which a teenager makes clear references to self-harm or suicide.

Before any notification is sent, conversations flagged by the AI will undergo manual review to reduce false alerts. The company said it will prioritise caution where a teen's intentions are unclear.

The new alerts are now available to parents using Instagram Parental Supervision in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, with a global rollout planned before the end of the year.

Additional Protections for Teen Users

The update builds on existing parental supervision tools that already notify parents when teenagers repeatedly search for suicide or self-harm content on Instagram.

Meta also allows parents to view the topics their teenagers have discussed with Meta AI over the previous week.

In addition, the company's Limited Content setting now extends to Meta AI, providing stronger protections by restricting a wider range of conversations beyond existing safeguards against sexual, romantic and alcohol-related discussions.

Emergency Services Feature in Development

Meta also revealed that it is developing a feature that will allow the company to contact emergency services if conversations with Meta AI indicate that a user may be at imminent risk of suicide.

The safeguard will apply to both teenagers and adults and expands Meta's existing practice of notifying emergency responders when posts on Facebook or Instagram suggest someone may be in immediate danger.

The new measures reflect Meta's broader effort to strengthen AI safety while giving parents greater visibility into how teenagers interact with AI-powered services.