Meta has announced that it will now notify parents if their teen discusses suicide or self-harm with its Meta AI chatbot. These alerts are part of the company's ongoing efforts to address concerns over how AI chatbots respond to users in crisis, particularly teenagers.

The updates follow a wave of scrutiny from regulators and anxious parents who want guarantees that tech companies can handle sensitive issues responsibly. Meta says it has built a dedicated AI system to identify conversations where a teen makes a clear reference to hurting themselves. However, the system will also err on the side of caution if the intent is ambiguous.

These alerts are now live for parents using Instagram Parental Supervision in the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada, with a global rollout planned by year-end. This update builds on existing alerts that Meta sends to parents when their teen repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm terms on Instagram. It also includes a new 'Limited Content' setting that applies to Meta AI, expanding its safeguards beyond sexual or romantic conversations and alcohol-related discussions.

Meta has taken further steps by promising to contact emergency services if someone's conversation with the chatbot suggests they are at risk of suicide, whether the user is an adult or a teen. This move extends the same practice already in place for posts on Facebook or Instagram that suggest users are at risk.