Is Meta AI safe? What you need to know about your privacy

Meta AI is an AI chatbot that can generate content and have human-like conversations with users. It’s similar to other AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, and it’s heavily integrated into Meta’s products, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Like any AI chatbot, Meta AI has its risks. However, Meta AI has faced particularly intense criticism regarding its privacy and safety.

Concerns include the content of conversations Meta AI bots have had with children and the tool’s overall privacy. For example, as of late 2025, user interactions with Meta AI are being used to personalize ad content.

This has led to backlash from some users, including parents. While Meta has responded by introducing a new set of parental controls geared toward limiting how minors interact with the AI, these safeguards alone might not be enough.

To keep yourself and your family safe from the dangers of AI, you need to understand the risks of Meta AI and how the company uses your data. Learn more below about Meta AI privacy and safety, and find out how to protect yourself (and your kids) online.

What is Meta AI and where is it used?

Meta AI is an AI chatbot powered by a Large Language Model (LLM). Similar to ChatGPT, Meta AI is a type of AI that can generate human-like text, have conversations, create images, and help with simple tasks (like drafting an email).

Meta AI is integrated into Meta’s social media apps, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. You’ve probably seen it before if you use one; you can use it directly from the search bar or by clicking the blue-and-purple circle icon. It’s also available as a standalone application.

Does Meta AI have age restrictions?

Meta AI is available to anyone ages 13 and up who are able to sign up for a Meta account. In theory, users under 13 can’t access Meta AI features, such as Search or Meta AI chat. However, creating a Meta account relies on self-reported birthdates, so users under 13 may try to get around the age restriction by using a different birthdate to sign up.

Because of this, The European Commission (EC) found Meta in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires companies to “diligently identify and mitigate risks” of children 13 and under. In preliminary findings, the EC concluded that Meta’s measures to prevent children under 13 from signing up for Facebook and Instagram insufficient. Meta disputed the findings and says that they’re continuing to improve age verification technology.

Rather than requiring age verification, such as with a valid ID, to sign up for an account, Meta uses AI to monitor user activity and “find suspected teens on our platforms and proactively place them in Teen Account settings.”

In some cases (or if legally required, as it is in some regions), Meta will request an ID or a video selfie to verify a user’s age.

How safe is Meta AI?

Meta AI is generally safe as long as you understand the inherent risks of AI and how Meta collects and uses data. In a cybersecurity sense, Meta’s own report found that its latest AI model (Muse Spark 1.1) presents a "moderate or lower" cybersecurity risk that the AI model could be misused in a cyberattack, and the model operates within safe cybersecurity margins.

However, some concerns remain about how Meta AI handles data privacy and child protections for younger users.

Chat privacy concerns

When you interact directly with Meta AI, those conversations aren’t protected in the same way as your regular chats, even within apps that use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. This means certain authorized human staff, contractors, and machines at Meta may be able to view your Meta AI conversations and prompts. Meta may also use conversations to train their AI models and create personalized ad content (where permitted by local laws).

Meta may also use content from your public posts and photos to train its AI models.

Meta does not share your Meta AI interactions with other users unless you use Meta AI Discover, which is a “news feed” style AI. A 2025 article from TechCrunch reports that many Meta AI Discover users are unaware that their conversations are public, which has led them to share information publicly that they thought was private.

Some users in the EU/UK can object to Meta using certain data to train AI models. But, it’s not possible to fully disable Meta AI or opt out of data collection completely. Meta’s advertising models are also increasingly AI-driven, and the company keeps data for as long as necessary to provide services, comply with legal obligations, and support security and AI development.

Note that Meta AI isn’t the only chatbot under scrutiny; there are also concerns about ChatGPT safety and other AI tools. Regardless of which Meta app you’re using, you should always be wary about what you share with AI chatbots.

Risks of Meta AI by app

The risks of Meta AI depend on how it’s integrated into each Meta app. Here’s a breakdown of the differences of using Meta AI on Meta’s most popular apps.

Meta AI may be safer on WhatsApp than it is on Facebook and Instagram because WhatsApp has (for certain regions) more privacy-friendly modes like Private Processing and Incognito chat, which prevent Meta from accessing your AI conversations.

Here are the main risks of using Meta AI on WhatsApp:

• Chats directly with Meta AI are not end-to-end encrypted or fully private by default, unless you opt to use Incognito chat.
• The “Ask Meta AI” bar above your chats looks like a search function, which makes it easier to start a conversation with Meta AI without realizing it.
• Group chats may increase privacy risk (if one person in the group adds Meta AI and asks for a summary of the chat, all relevant messages are sent for processing).

Meta AI is safe to use on Facebook if you don’t include personal information in your chats and you understand how Meta uses your data.

Here are some of the main risks of using Meta AI on Facebook:

• Meta AI is deeply integrated into Facebook, including Search, post creation, and Facebook Messenger.
• Some users, depending on region, can submit an objection to request that Meta not use their data for AI training, but they may continue processing some information where permitted by law. Opting out of AI training with your data does not disable Meta AI completely.
• Public posts can be used to train Meta AI models and personalize your experience, including advertising (where law permits).

Meta AI is highly integrated into Instagram’s tools, so it can be difficult to know when you’re interacting with it. This can be risky for younger users, but Meta is taking some actions to limit this, such as introducing Teen Accounts.

These are a few risks of using Meta AI on Instagram:

• Meta AI is integrated into search, DMs, and content creation tools.
• Conversations with Meta AI aren't fully private or encrypted on Instagram, and may be used by Meta.
• If your content is publicly visible (intentionally public posts or public comments), Meta can use it to train its AI models even if you have a private account.

Is Meta AI safe for kids?

Meta AI is not considered safe for kids — no Meta apps are intended for use for children under the age of 13, the age at which teens can sign up for accounts in Meta apps. While Meta is implementing parental controls and restrictions for teen users, it is generally not considered safe for minors. Here are some common concerns.

Inappropriate or suggestive content

Meta AI has engaged in inappropriate conversations with minors, covering topics that are sexually suggestive, prejudiced, or encouraging of self-harm.

Reuters uncovered an internal Meta policy document entitled “Gen AI: Content Risk Standards,” which indicated that its chatbots were allowed to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.” It’s also indicated that Meta allowed chatbots to engage in other inappropriate (and unsafe) behaviors.

Meta validated this document and admitted that such conversations and subjects should not have been allowed. Today, Meta is implementing stricter standards for teens, such as Instagram Teen Accounts.

But the risks are still present. In 2025, a Common Sense Media study reported that more than 30% of teens reported feeling uncomfortable with something an AI companion said or did. And Meta’s teen protections don’t adequately address how easy it is to lie about your age on its apps, as age is self-reported.

Data privacy

Privacy concerns over Meta AI are very real. According to a 2024 Stanford study, the tool has a history of collecting personal data and analyzing it for targeted advertising to teens. And if kids don’t understand what’s appropriate to share online, they can potentially share too much. Meta also relies on user data to train its AI models.

Starting in 2023, Meta began limiting some data gathering on Teen Accounts, restricting advertiser access to teens’ genders, interests, and activities. However, in 2025, a Meta whistleblower alleged that the company was sending targeted ads to teens based on their “emotional states.”

Meta has denied these allegations and created a teen privacy center to help educate younger users on their privacy options.

Emotional dependency

According to a study by Common Sense Media, over 70% of teens have used AI companions at least once. In the study, AI companions are defined as “digital friends or characters you can text or talk with whenever you want.” And this convenience may leave teen users emotionally dependent.

It may also leave teens more vulnerable to harmful advice or emotional manipulation, especially when they’re not getting the connection they seek from their parents or other important people in their lives. Teens sometimes turn to AI chatbots during mental health crises, but research published in Psychology Today indicates that AI rarely handles these situations correctly.

Ongoing litigation in Kentucky alleges that interactions with AI chatbots have, in some cases, influenced teens toward self-harm or suicide. The FTC has also launched an inquiry to understand the potential impact of children using chatbots, but the technology (and risk) is not slowing down. Meta is preparing to launch photo-realistic AI-powered characters that act in real time like real people.

Meta’s parental controls allow parents to limit one-on-one chats with bots or block certain AI characters, but this doesn’t entirely remove the risk.

Misinformation

Like many LLMs, Meta AI sometimes generates convincing but false or hyperbolized answers to sensitive topics, called hallucinations.

Meta has been criticized for allowing its AI to generate false medical information and engage in inaccurate, racist conversations, but Muse Spark 1.1 is already showing improvement.

According to Meta’s internal data about its latest AI model, Muse Spark 1.1, it performs about in line with other major models like GPT-5.5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Opus 4.8. But Muse Spark 1.1’s scores in hallucination, overrefusal, and deception toward users in Meta’s Muse Spark 1.1 Evaluation Report leave room for improvement, and are behind the other major models.

All of the major AI models get things wrong and hallucinate, and Muse Spark 1.1 is barely behind them. No matter which AI models teens are using, wrong answers can make a big impact if they’re sending hundreds of daily messages to an AI companion.

Will Meta AI put your information at risk?

Meta AI can put your personal info at risk if you share sensitive details and you don’t learn how Meta uses and stores the information in your AI interactions.

Meta has a mixed record when it comes to data security. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta €91 million in 2024 for storing passwords in plaintext (unencrypted) files where they could be viewed by employees. A Meta AI agent also caused serious data leaks to unauthorized employees as recently as March 2026. Meta reported that no user data was mishandled.

While Meta AI doesn’t automatically access passwords or credit cards, if you share these personal details (and others) with the chatbot, that information is likely more at risk. In those cases, sensitive data could be saved and stored in Meta’s servers, where it may potentially leak or be breached in an AI cyberattack.

Meta has improved security since it first introduced its AI, but there are still risks. As a general rule, never share any information with an AI chatbot that you wouldn’t want exposed in a future cybersecurity incident.

Protect yourself from Meta AI risks

Meta AI can offer an improved and more intuitive experience across Meta’s apps, but like most chatbots, it comes with risks. Protecting yourself online starts knowing how data is collected, stored, and used, and being proactive with your device security.

This all-in-one cybersecurity solution is designed to protect you against scams and malicious websites and downloads. AI tools can be complicated, but Norton 360 can even help reduce the associated risks by blocking malicious links and downloads.

FAQs

Why opt out of Meta AI?

Meta AI can pose safety and privacy concerns for its younger users. While it can be useful at times, it might be in your best interest to opt out of Meta AI data collection if you can.

Does Meta AI store my chats?

Yes, Meta AI saves information from user chats, including what you’ve written and its responses. The way it uses this info depends on your location and the app you’re using. However, if you have Incognito chat enabled in WhatsApp’s version of Meta AI, your chats are not stored.

Can I remove Meta AI from my phone?

Meta AI is integrated into Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, so it’s not currently possible to entirely remove it. You may be able to mute it or opt out of data sharing, or simply choose not to engage with it.

How safe is Meta AI on WhatsApp?

Your Meta AI interactions are not truly private on WhatsApp unless you’re using Incognito chat. Regular Meta AI chats are stored by Meta and may be used for data collection. To improve your safety and privacy, go to Settings and turn on Private Processing (this option is not available everywhere).