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Meta AI

Explained for parents by The Digital Childhood.

What it means

The AI chatbot built into Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook, so it's sitting in the search bar and the DMs of apps your kid already uses. Meta paused teens' chats with its AI characters in January 2026 while it builds a version with parent controls, but the Meta AI assistant itself is still there for teens.

How to bring it up with your kid

"Have you used the AI in Instagram or WhatsApp? What did you ask it?" A lot of kids don't even think of it as its own thing. It's just there in the search bar, so it's worth asking.

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