On September 11, 2025, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the opening of a formal investigation with seven major tech companies - Alphabet, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, X-Ai, and Character.ai - regarding AI-powered "virtual companion" tools for children. The investigation aims to assess the safety of these tools, examine their development mechanisms, monetization methods, methods of generating interactive responses, and safety measures to protect children and adolescents. These tools use artificial intelligence and large language models to simulate human interaction and emotions, which increases their impact on young people and warrants careful oversight. The FTC is asking for information about safety filters and interaction with parents, while companies have worked to strengthen parental controls and policies to prevent harmful or inappropriate content.
The FTC (U.S. Federal Trade Commission) is investigating AI companies over companion tools for children.
