MICROSOFT UNVEILS FRAMEWORK TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND TEENS ONLINE IN AII ERA

Sat 12 September 2026:

New initiative focuses on safety by design, age-appropriate experiences and digital education

Microsoft on Thursday launched its Safe Participation Framework, a new initiative aimed at strengthening protections for children and teenagers as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into online services.

“Children and families should not have to choose between the protections they need and the opportunities technology can provide,” the US technology company said in a statement.

The framework is centered on three key areas: safety by design, age-differentiated experiences, and education and empowerment.

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Stronger Age-Based Protections

Microsoft said its safety-by-design approach is intended to build safeguards into products from the beginning. This includes identifying foreseeable risks, evaluating the impact of product features and applying protections according to the level of risk involved.

Under its age-based measures, users must now sign in to access Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot. Access is also restricted for children under 13, or for older ages where local laws require higher minimum ages.

The company said it has introduced additional protections to limit exposure to harmful material and provide access to crisis-support resources when potential self-harm risks are identified.

Other measures include break reminders, reporting features and safeguards designed to reduce the risk of AI producing delusional outputs.

Bing and Windows Get New Safety Measures

Microsoft said its Bing search engine has strengthened protections against child sexual abuse material across its generative AI services. It has also expanded SafeSearch globally to cover a wider range of harmful content.

The company separately introduced the Windows Age application programming interface (API), which allows developers to use privacy-preserving age signals to create age-appropriate experiences without collecting or sharing unnecessary personal information.

Microsoft acknowledged that technology alone cannot guarantee safe participation online.

The company said it plans to expand collaboration over the coming year with researchers, AI safety institutes, governments and civil society organizations to strengthen protections and promote safer digital participation.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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