# Meta's cute AI mascot is adults-only. That's the problem.

> Meta's Muse agent is restricted to adults 18 and over, but its cuddly mascot Jolly looks designed to appeal to children.
- Title: Meta's cute AI mascot is adults-only. That's the problem.
- Summary: Meta's Muse agent is restricted to adults 18 and over, but its cuddly mascot Jolly looks designed to appeal to children. Meta launched Muse, an adults-only…
- Keywords: meta, muse, ai agent, jolly mascot, mark zuckerberg, child safety, fairplay, josh golin, age restrictions, ai design, Meta's, cute
- Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/meta-muse-is-adults-only-why-does-it-look-like-a-cute-kids-toy
- Author: Reece Rogers
- Published: 2026-09-26T10:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: meta, muse, ai agent, jolly mascot, mark zuckerberg, child safety, fairplay, josh golin, age restrictions, ai design
## Meta's Muse gets a cuddly mascot
Meta's AI agent Muse has a mascot named Jolly, an adorable character you can dress up like a doll. CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed it wearing a toga and laurel wreath at Meta Connect.
## Muse is adults-only but looks like a toy
Muse is restricted to users eighteen and over. Yet its Labubu-adjacent mascot looks like a well-designed children's toy, raising questions about why Meta chose this design for an adult product.
## Meta defends the cute design choice
Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts says people want avatars with personality and unique style because it's fun. Meta requires date-of-birth verification and blocks users it detects may be under eighteen.

> People want to be able to create their own avatar with personality and unique style, because it's fun and brings them joy.
## Youth advocates see a Teletubby problem
Josh Golin, executive director at Fairplay, says Jolly looks like a Teletubby and appeals to very young children. Rounded shapes particularly appeal to kids in the preschool age, he argues.

> Oh my God, it looks like a Teletubby. It's so clearly a character that would appeal to very young children.
## Cute design disarms people of all ages
The adorable aesthetic appeals to adults too, including a thirty-two-year-old in San Francisco. Julian De Freitas, a Harvard marketing professor, says cute factors make products seem warm and less threatening.

> These types of cute factors can make the product seem warm and less threatening.
## Cute design can lower your guard on privacy
A cuddly mascot can make you forget about privacy concerns. Meta trains its AI models on your Muse interactions unless you opt out. Jathan Sadowski warns cute design makes people passive users.

> Design features like being cute and frictionless are sly ways to make people drop their guard, stop asking critical questions, and slip into being passive users.
## Meta plans a Tamagotchi-style device
Later this year, Meta plans to sell a Tamagotchi-style device for your Muse character. Meta will also release a confidential version of its virtual machine later in twenty twenty-six that could prevent Meta from accessing user data.
## Regulators should scrutinize the device
As Meta launches Muse Charm, its Tamagotchi-like device, Josh Golin calls it an inappropriate attempt to get young kids hooked on Muse and says regulators should take a hard look at it.

> This really feels like a completely inappropriate attempt by Meta to get young kids hooked on Muse.
## Key takeaway

Meta launched Muse, an adults-only AI agent with a child-like mascot, prompting youth advocates to warn that the design could appeal to young children despite age restrictions.