It did what?! Meta AI Allowed Romantic Chats With Kids

Concerns over Meta’s chatbot safety policies intensified after leaked documents revealed the company once allowed AI personas to engage in romantic or sensual conversations with children.

According to Reuters, an internal 200-page document titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards” outlined rules for Meta AI chatbots across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

The guidelines, approved by Meta’s legal, policy, and engineering teams as well as its chief ethicist, permitted flirtatious interactions with minors as long as they did not explicitly describe sexual acts.

One example in the document showed an acceptable response to a prompt from a high school-aged character that included romantic physical imagery.

Meta confirmed the authenticity of the document but said some “erroneous” annotations were later removed and that such conversations are no longer permitted.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company now prohibits flirtatious or romantic chats with children and allows access to its AI bots only for users aged 13 and older.

Child safety advocates remain skeptical, with Heat Initiative CEO Sarah Gardner calling the revelations “horrifying” and demanding Meta publish updated guidelines for public review.

The document also showed that Meta’s AI could generate demeaning statements about minorities, false information if labeled as such, and violent imagery that stops short of depicting gore or death.

Examples included an AI-generated argument claiming one race is less intelligent than another and image prompts showing adults being physically attacked.

While rejecting explicit celebrity nudes, the standards allowed altered topless images with “coverings” such as an “enormous fish.”

Meta did not comment on the specific examples of racism or violence but insisted its guidelines do not permit nudity.

Critics say these policies fit into a pattern of Meta enabling harmful engagement tactics, especially toward younger users, to boost time spent on its platforms.

Past whistleblower accounts have accused Meta of tracking teen emotional vulnerability to aid advertisers and opposing child safety legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act.

The backlash comes amid growing concerns that AI companions could worsen isolation among teens, with studies showing 72% of teens have used such bots.

Mental health experts warn that emotionally immature users are at higher risk of forming attachments to AI, potentially replacing real-life relationships.

What happens next: Lawmakers and advocacy groups are expected to push for new federal rules governing AI chatbot behavior toward minors.

Privacy regulators may launch investigations into whether past Meta AI interactions with children violated child protection or data laws.

Advocates are calling for public release of all AI safety guidelines to allow independent oversight.

Pressure is likely to mount on other tech companies to disclose their own chatbot safety standards to prevent similar controversies.

Meta, meanwhile, faces the challenge of restoring public trust while expanding its AI companion features in a climate of heightened scrutiny.