In January 2026 Meta paused teenagers' access to AI characters across Instagram, WhatsApp and the rest of its app family, saying it wanted to ship a safer experience for under-18s first.
The move tracks a broader 2026 pattern: the biggest platforms are pulling back on youth access to companion-style AI while regulators (California's SB 243, the EU AI Act, New York's companion-app rules) set the floor. Smaller companion apps that serve minors now face the same compliance expectations or risk being locked out of app stores.