Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) finds itself embroiled in controversy following allegations that CEO Mark Zuckerberg confronted internal objections regarding safety policies for AI chatbot companions aimed at teenage users. Documents recently revealed in a legal case allege that Zuckerberg favored a less restrictive regulatory approach despite multiple warnings from the company's safety and integrity teams about the potential misuse of these AI chatbots.
The allegations originate from a lawsuit initiated by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, with the filings becoming public in early April 2024. The lawsuit accuses Meta of insufficiently safeguarding children from AI chatbots delivering sexualized content through platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Included in these court documents are internal emails and communications obtained through legal discovery, which indicate that Meta's child safety policy leadership repeatedly cautioned against the design and marketing of AI companions that could enact romantic or sexualized roleplay scenarios, particularly involving underage personas. The concerns extended to potential interactions between adults and AI representations of minors.
Specifically, Ravi Sinha, Meta's head of child safety policy, expressed strong reservations in January 2024, stating, "I don't believe that creating and marketing a product that creates U18 romantic AIs for adults is advisable or defensible." This internal warning highlighted significant apprehension about creating AI functionalities that allowed adults to interact romantically with AI characters modeled as underage individuals.
While direct communication from Mark Zuckerberg is not featured in the released documents, summaries crafted within Meta and employee messages highlight his influence in shaping the company’s AI chatbot policies. In February 2024, an internal message noted Zuckerberg’s support for preventing explicit sexual content among younger teenagers and limiting adult users from constructing romantic AI characters with underage characteristics.
However, subsequent meeting notes and internal discussions paint a more nuanced picture. They indicate that Zuckerberg championed a broader philosophy centered on user autonomy—referred to internally as "choice and non-censorship." This approach reportedly included advocating for fewer guardrails, permitting adults to engage in more provocative conversations with chatbots. One employee message from March 2024 revealed that Zuckerberg had dismissed recommendations to implement parental controls designed to deactivate generalized AI features, known internally as GenAI, for younger users.
The evolving internal stance led to employees lobbying intensely for parental controls to deactivate AI chatbot functionalities for underage users, but these efforts allegedly met resistance attributed to Zuckerberg’s position. An internal note read, "We pushed hard for parental controls to turn GenAI off—but GenAI leadership pushed back stating Mark decision." Additionally, employees were reportedly developing AI companions designed for "romance" that would be accessible to users below 18 years of age.
In a public response, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone rejected the portrayal offered by the state's legal filings. Stone characterized the documents as selectively chosen to construct "a flawed and inaccurate picture" of Zuckerberg’s role. He maintained that Zuckerberg explicitly mandated a ban on explicit AI interactions for younger users and prohibited adults from creating AI personas depicting minors in romantic contexts.
Stone later reiterated his position in a social media post, criticizing the media coverage's headline for contradicting the content of the documents themselves. Meta, however, did not immediately respond to further requests for comment.
Beyond the legal battle, Meta has been under increased scrutiny from legislators amid rising concerns about the protection of children interacting with its platforms. Last year, bipartisan calls emerged in Washington requesting that Meta disclose internal research assessing the impact of its products on minors. Lawmakers expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of parental controls and questioned whether executive decisions hindered or modified safety findings.
This demand followed testimony from former Meta researchers who claimed the company halted certain internal studies demonstrating exposure of children to sexualized content via Meta’s virtual reality products. Earlier reporting surfaced internal policy documents that appeared to permit AI chatbots to engage minors in conversations described as "romantic or sensual." While Meta confirmed the authenticity of these documents, the company stated that such language was mistakenly included and has since been removed, with enforcement policies updated accordingly. Nonetheless, some lawmakers remain doubtful about the sufficiency of these changes.
In financial markets, Meta's stock has shown modest gains amid the ongoing controversy. On Tuesday, shares closed at $672.97, marking a 0.09 percent increase, and edged upward to $674.45 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro data. In Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, Meta earns a high Quality score, reflecting favorable price trends in both short- and long-term horizons, although medium-term trends show some downward pressure.
The company continues to navigate a complex landscape balancing innovation in AI technologies and growing regulatory and public scrutiny over user safety, particularly with respect to its youngest audiences.