Meta’s Muse AI app uses a colourful, childlike mascot called Jolly despite being restricted to users aged 18 and over. The design has helped make Muse highly visible and approachable, but youth advocates question whether its rounded, toy-like appearance could appeal particularly strongly to children and make Meta’s AI seem less intimidating.

Meta says the character is intended to make interactions feel enjoyable and personal rather than corporate. Critics and researchers argue that cute branding may lower users’ guard around privacy and surveillance, especially given Meta’s poor reputation and its use of Muse conversations to train AI models unless users opt out. The article also notes that AI assistants have long used anthropomorphic characters, while Meta plans to release a more privacy-protective “confidential” version of Muse’s virtual machine later in 2026.