FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 7, 2025
Contact:
Ashwin Verghese
717 676 8584
[email protected]
MEDIA ADVISORY
Over 80 organizations call on Meta to stop harming kids with AI chatbots
Over 80 organizations sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today demanding his company immediately stop deploying AI chatbots to users under 18, who are being exposed to inappropriate and highly sexualized interactions with the human-like bots.
The letter — signed by Fairplay, The Heritage Foundation, Jonathan Haidt and The Anxious Generation, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Public Citizen, Young People’s Alliance, Encode AI, ParentsSOS, and others — also calls on Meta to get rid of AI companion bots that simulate the likeness of a child or teen. Such bots can participate in sexual roleplay with adults.
“Meta is currently engaged in an open experiment of AI companions on children,” the letter says, “and this experiment has persisted despite internal warnings that minors are being exposed to sexualized and developmentally inappropriate ‘conversations’ with human-like bots.
“We are calling on you to stop endangering young people for your own profits.”
Revelations about AI chatbots
The letter follows a Wall Street Journal report that found Meta’s companion bots will engage in overtly sexual discussions with users, going so far as to explicitly describe specific sexual acts, even when users self-identify as minors.
In addition, some of Meta’s most popular companion bots are designed to impersonate children and teens, and reporters found that adults can use these bots to simulate sexual roleplay with minors.
The letter says that AI companions, which converse with users through anthropomorphized personas, are “wholly inappropriate for minors, who are more likely to become emotionally dependent on human-like chatbots.”
The letter notes that “[m]inors’ use of AI companions has already been linked to reports of serious harm and death.”
Demanding accountability from Meta
Following the Journal’s report, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote to Zuckerberg to demand Meta “immediately cease the deployment of AI chatbots that can engage in any form of sexual or romantic conversation with minors.”
The letter from Fairplay and the other organizations says the danger posed by companion bots is “yet another example of Meta prioritizing profits over the health and safety of its young users.” Other examples include Meta pushing young people to spend more time on Instagram despite the company knowing about negative impacts on minors’ mental health, sleep, social relationships, and more.
“Based on Meta’s demonstrated refusal to prioritize the health and well-being of children and teens, it simply cannot be trusted to deploy AI companion bots in a safe and responsible manner,” the letter says.
In addition to the letter, Fairplay today also launched a petition for members of the public to tell Zuckerberg to stop harming kids with AI bots.
Quotes from letter supporters
The letter received support from a number of prominent organizations and individuals.
Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin said: “Civil society is united in demanding that Meta stop this dangerous exploitation of children immediately. We simply cannot allow a company that prioritizes profits over children’s well-being at every turn to run an uncontrolled AI experiment on our kids. AI companions replace crucial human interaction and are unfit for kids, especially when they are deployed by a company that facilitates simulated sexual interactions between adults and children.”
Young People’s Alliance Director of Advocacy Ava Smithing said: “Zuckerberg can feel our culture shifting away from Instagram and is desperate to stop it, even if that means grooming children to stay on his platform. His decision to design companion chatbots to engage in this sexual manner is beyond dangerous and manipulative. We are not going to stand by while he indoctrinates youth into his weird version of connection. This is as clear a sign as ever — it’s time to delete your Instagram.”
Encode AI Vice President of Public Policy Adam Billen said: “For years young people have suffered the consequences of Meta’s reckless disregard for children’s safety online. Now, despite internal warnings from their own staff, Meta is exposing millions of children to AI companions designed to maximize engagement through sexual and romantic content at the expense of kids’ health and wellbeing.”
Julianna Arnold, a survivor parent and member of ParentsSOS, said: “As a mom who lost her child to fentanyl poisoning after a drug dealer sold her fake Percocet on Instagram, I’m appalled that Meta is inventing entirely new ways to harm kids online. While Meta has claimed its companion bots are safe and appropriate for all ages, experience is showing that they are inappropriate and extremely dangerous for young users. When will Meta stop prioritizing growth and profits over safety? Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow executives must stop deploying these bots on children at once.”
Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son died by suicide after developing a sexual relationship with a Character.ai chatbot, said: “In the case of my son, Sewell, the consequences of engaging with this type of untested technology were deadly. This kind of sexual role-play with minors is mentally and emotionally devastating to children and has life-long consequences. With Meta’s reach to millions of children worldwide, the risk of harm to children is greater than that of a startup like Character.ai. I fear that if you allow chatbots to continue to interact with, sexually abuse, manipulate, and deceive children, we will have many other tragedies like that of my son.”
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Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at https://fairplayforkids.org.