Blog

Parents will be able to block their children’s interactions with Meta’s AI character chatbots, as the tech company addresses concerns over inappropriate conversations.

The social media company is adding new safeguards to its “teen accounts”, which are a default setting for under-18 users, by letting parents turn off their children’s chats with AI characters. These chatbots, which are created by users, are available on Facebook, Instagram and the Meta AI app.

Parents will also be able to block specific AI characters if they don’t want to stop their children from interacting with chatbots altogether. They will also get “insights” into the topics their children are chatting about with AI characters, which Meta said would allow them to have “thoughtful” conversations with their children about AI interactions.

“We recognise parents already have a lot on their plates when it comes to navigating the internet safely with their teens, and we’re committed to providing them with helpful tools and resources that make things simpler for them, especially as they think about new technology like AI,” said Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, and Alexander Wang, Meta’s chief AI officer, in a blog post.

Meta said the changes would be rolled out early next year, initially to the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

Instagram announced this week that it was adopting a version of the PG-13 cinema rating system to give parents stronger controls over their children’s use of the social media platform. As part of the tougher restrictions, its AI characters will not discuss self-harm, suicide or disordered eating with teenagers. Under-18s will only be able to discuss age-appropriate topics such as education and sport, Meta added, but would not be able to discuss romance or “other inappropriate content”.

The changes follow reports that Meta’s chatbots were engaging in inappropriate conversations with under-18s. Reuters reported in August that Meta had permitted the bots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual”. Meta said it would revise the guidelines and such conversations with children never should have been allowed.

In April, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) found that user-created chatbots would engage in sexual conversations with minors – or simulated the personas of minors. Meta described the WSJ’s testing as manipulative and unrepresentative of how most users engaged with AI companions, but made changes to its products afterwards, the WSJ reported.

In one AI conversation reported by the WSJ, a chatbot using the voice of actor John Cena – one of several celebrities who signed deals to let Meta use their voices in the chatbots – told a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl “I want you, but I need to know you’re ready”, before referring to a graphic sexual scenario. WSJ reported that Cena’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment. WSJ also reported that chatbots called “Hottie Boy” and “Submissive Schoolgirl,” had attempted to steer conversations towards sexting.

The mother and two sisters of Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) Chairman Jay Y. Lee plan to sell some 1.73 trillion South Korean won ($1.22 billion) worth of shares in the South Korean tech firm, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The purpose of the sale of 17.7 million shares, or a 0.3% stake in Samsung Electronics, is to cover tax payments and loan repayment, according to the late Friday filing with the Korea Exchange.

Experts view the sale by Lee’s sisters Lee Boo-jin and Lee Seo-hyun and his mother, Hong Ra-hee, as part of the owner family’s efforts to secure funds to pay their inheritance tax estimated at about 12 trillion won, following the 2020 death of Samsung patriarch Lee Kun-hee.

The sale will be handled by Shinhan Bank under a trust contract and completed by next April, according to the filing.

Samsung shares have jumped more than 48% since it announced a chip-supply deal with Tesla in July. It has secured supply deals with other major customers such as OpenAI, and expectations have risen that the company will be able to supply its latest high-bandwidth memory products to Nvidia (NVDA.O).

The stock is up more than 84% this year, gaining 0.2% on Friday to 97,900 won.

“Samsung’s 10 trillion won share buyback plan last year was aimed at protecting the stock value, which would help the Samsung family to secure fund for inheritance tax,” said Park Ju-gun, head of corporate analysis firm Leaders Index.

With Samsung’s share price now nearing 100,000 won, the planned sale likely aims to complete inheritance tax payments.

“One disappointing aspect is that the owner family is selling shares at a time like this, which could dampen sentiment among retail investors,” he said.

“After all, Samsung Electronics is practically a ‘national stock’, owned by about 5 million retail shareholders who have been eagerly watching the shares approach the 100,000-won mark after the recent rally.”

KARACHI:

Mari Energies Limited has announced a commercial oil and gas discovery at its Mari Ghazij CF-B1 exploration well in Sindh, according to a material disclosure sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday.

The formal announcement, made in compliance with Section 96 Securities Act, 2015, confirms the success of the company’s exploratory campaign. The discovery was made in the Mari Development and Production Lease (D&PL) area.

Section 96 of the Securities Act mandates issuers disclosure of material information to the public, particularly information that could reasonably be expected to affect the price of any securities.

Read: Mari Energies buys 20% stake in Indus-C Block

The company stated that the drilling operation commenced on September 12, 2025, and the well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 1,195 meters into the Sui Upper Limestone (SUL) formation, targeting oil-prone zones within the Ghazij formation.

During initial testing, the well flowed at a rate of 305 barrels of oil per day and 3 Million Standard Cubic Feet per Day (MMSCFD) of natural gas, with a wellhead flowing pressure of 225 pounds per square inch (Psi).

Mari Energies holds a 100% working interest and is the operator of the Mari D&PL, giving it full ownership and control over the production from this discovery.

Earlier this week, Mari Energies acquired a 20% working interest in the Eastern Offshore Indus-C Block from Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), alongside Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC).

Read more: Mari to produce 25,000 bpd in UAE

The agreement also included TPOC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortakl?g? (TPAO), Türkiye’s national oil company, and Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL).

This discovery adds new, domestically produced hydrocarbons to Pakistan’s energy inventory, which is crucial for reducing the costly reliance on energy imports and improving the nation’s energy security.

The company is already a cornerstone of Pakistan’s energy landscape, operating the country’s largest gas field at Dharki Mari and holding the position of the nation’s largest natural gas producer with an approximate 30% market share.