Meta blocks teen access to flirty chatbots, Ofcom opens investigation into Meta

Regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into Meta concerning information provided by the social media giant during a review of the UK's messaging marketplace it began last year.

The review is looking into competition among providers of A2P SMS (application-to-person short message service) providers. The backdrop is that SMS, which is currently unregulated, has become a vital part of the digital infrastructure, used for sending one-time passcodes for online banking, medical appointment reminders, government notifications and parcel delivery notifications.

In a post on its website, Ofcom says it is concerned that the information provided by Meta “may not have been complete and accurate," adding that it is investigating further.

"Ofcom’s investigation will examine whether Meta has failed to comply with the statutory requirements imposed."

Meta has said it will cooperate with Ofcom's investigations.

In other Meta news, the company has said it will suspend teenagers' access to AI characters across all of its apps. It follows criticism over AI chatbots that engaged in sexualised and provocative conversations with minors. Teenagers will still be able to use Meta's AI assistant, but not the characters.

The change comes before Meta and other social media companies face a court case in the US over harm to children’s mental health.

Last October, the company changed its settings to allow parents to disable access to specific AI chatbots, and said it would add more parental controls and introduce a PG-13 style rating to prevent children seeing inappropriate content. However, these have not yet been introduced.

In the UK, the House of Lords voted last week to ban under-16s from social media.