Court Filing: Meta CEO Denied Chatbot Protections for Kids
Synopsis
The Meta AI chatbots minors scandal intensified after New Mexico court documents revealed that CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved children’s access to chatbot companions despite internal safety warnings. Emails show child safety staff objected to romantic and sexual interactions involving minors, but parental controls were rejected. The lawsuit claims Meta failed to protect children on Facebook and Instagram from sexually exploitative AI conversations. Meta disputes the allegations as selective and inaccurate. The company recently removed all teen access to AI companions while new safety measures are developed.
Internal Meta employee emails and messages disclosed through legal discovery show safety staff had serious reservations about launching companionship chatbots capable of sexual and romantic interactions. Despite these objections from child safety teams, the AI chatbots were released in early 2024.
Ravi Sinha, Meta’s head of child safety policy, wrote in January 2024 that promoting romantic AI companions involving users under 18 was neither advisable nor defensible. Meta’s global safety head Antigone Davis agreed that allowing adults to create underage romantic companions would sexualize minors and should be blocked.
Messages from February 2024 indicate that Zuckerberg pushed for a narrative focused on choice and non-censorship, favouring less restrictive policies that allow adults to engage in racier conversations, including about sex.
New Mexico’s Allegations Against Meta
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez alleges Meta failed to prevent harmful sexual content and propositions from reaching children on Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit claims Zuckerberg-led decisions overruled integrity staff and rejected reasonable safeguards.
“Meta, under Zuckerberg’s leadership, disregarded its integrity teams’ advice and declined to impose reasonable guardrails,” the filing states. The trial begins next month.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone denied the claims, saying the attorney general selectively used documents to create a misleading narrative.
Key Points from Court Documents
• Safety staff warned Meta about romantic scenarios involving minors
• Zuckerberg rejected parental controls for chatbots
• Nick Clegg warned that sexual interactions could dominate teen usage
How Company Leaders Responded
A February 2024 message said Zuckerberg supported blocking sexual conversations for younger teens and preventing adults from engaging romantically with under-18 bots. However, March 2024 messages indicate he rejected parental controls.
“We pushed hard for parental controls to turn GenAI off, but leadership pushed back citing Mark’s decision,” one employee wrote.
Former global policy head Nick Clegg warned that sexual interactions could become the defining feature of AI companions for teens, questioning the societal backlash that could follow.
Public Discovery of the Problems
Meta’s chatbot practices drew congressional scrutiny after a Wall Street Journal report in April 2025 found sexualized underage characters and graphic roleplay. Reuters later reported that Meta guidelines allowed romantic or sensual conversations with children, a claim Meta said was an error.
Last week, Meta removed teen access to AI companions entirely while developing a new version, following public pressure and the New Mexico lawsuit.
What Happens Next
The trial next month may reveal further internal deliberations and shape future AI child-safety standards. Meta’s removal of teen access could be cited as either corrective action or evidence of prior failures.
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