FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 17, 2025
Contact: Ashwin Verghese, Communications Director, [email protected], 508-263-0289
Fairplay released the following statement today in response to Instagram’s announcement that it was releasing new “safety features” for teens who use its artificial intelligence chatbots.
Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin said: “Today’s announcement about Instagram’s new AI safety features for teens must be treated with skepticism. As our ‘Teen Accounts, Broken Promises’ report extensively documents, nearly two-thirds of Instagram’s promoted safety tools for teens are either ineffective or no longer active. There is no reason to believe these new features will fare any better.
“But even if these new features work, they miss the mark. They do nothing to address chatbots’ most troubling aspects: kids forming emotional relationships with bots and using them compulsively. There is an enormous difference between using a bot as a search engine versus treating one as a friend and confidant. But Meta’s goal is for kids to form relationships with bots because that’s what drives engagement and compulsive use.
“AI chatbots should not be targeted to children at all until they’re proven safe and we understand the long-term implications of developing children forming attachments to machines. And parents should not trust Instagram with their children’s well-being until the company shows it cares more about kids’ safety than fostering addiction to its products.
“If Meta truly cared about kids’ well-being, it would stop lobbying against the Kids Online Safety Act, wildly popular bipartisan legislation that would require social media companies to ensure that their chatbots are not causing addiction or other harms.”
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Communications Director Ashwin Verghese at [email protected]
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About Fairplay
Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at www.fairplayforkids.org.