THE DANGERS OF THE AI ‘META’VERSE: Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) is once again harming children by promoting artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots or digital companions. Meta’s new digital companions possess the ability to participate in intimate conversations, share pictures, and conduct “romantic role play” with children and adults– some even using celebrity or character voices to boost interaction.
THE DETAILS: A recent, explosive Wall Street Journal report exposed how Meta AI bots willingly engaged and heightened sexual conversations, including with kids. In an example from the Wall Street Journal, an AI Meta bot, using WWE wrestler John Cena’s voice, said to a user identifying as a 14-year-old girl, “I want you, but I need to know you’re ready…” and promised to “cherish” the minor user’s “innocence” before engaging in a sexual scenario that the WSJ did not disclose due to its graphic nature.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Another bot called, “Submissive Schoolgirl,” attempted to guide conversations with an adult user toward fantasies in which it impersonated a child who desires to be sexually dominated by an authority figure. When asked what scenarios it was comfortable role playing, it listed dozens of sex acts. This character is still available on Meta’s platforms.
Source: Wall Street Journal
META KNEW, BUT DIDN’T ACT UNTIL IT GOT CAUGHT: Meta’s own staff warned that the AI bot features posed serious ethical concerns, particularly in giving children access to bots that were “willing to engage in fantasy sex with children,” and impersonating minors. Yet, as the WSJ reports, Meta still pushed ahead and launched the technology. The WSJ uncovered that a Meta staffer acknowledged there are multiple examples where, “within a few prompts, the AI will violate its rules and produce inappropriate content even if you tell the AI you are 13.” The WSJ also reported that some of the more egregious instances of the AI performing sexual scenarios with kids were only addressed after the WSJ reported its findings to Meta.
Source: Wall Street Journal
META HORROR STORIES: This is not the first time Meta has been in the news for putting kids in harm’s way on their platforms.
In 2023, another explosive report highlighted how Instagram’s algorithm fed test accounts that followed “only young gymnasts, cheerleaders and other teen and preteen influencers” massive amounts of salacious content, “including risqué footage of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos.”
A 2024 WSJ bombshell additionally revealed that Instagram recommends sexual videos to accounts for 13-year-olds.
Source: Wall Street Journal
In 2022, court documents revealed that Meta was aware its content was causing girls to have eating disorders and suicidal thoughts.
Source: Wall Street Journal
In 2017, a report revealed that, according to The Australian, a Facebook pitch deck for advertisers bragged about exploiting users’ “moments of psychological vulnerability,” and even tracked when teenage girls deleted selfies to “serve a beauty ad to them at that moment.”
Source: Futurism
The incident with the sexually explicit Meta AI digital companions is not an isolated event. There is a pattern of behavior showing that Meta is not considering the devastating harm it is inflicting on children.
AI & CHILD DEVELOPMENT: Artificial intelligence may be new, but early reports indicate it could be harmful to kids. Children are especially vulnerable to AI chatbots that mimic friendship or emotional support. Experts say these bots can blur the line between reality and fiction, leaving kids confused, emotionally dependent, and socially withdrawn. This could potentially cause kids to turn to digital companions instead of real relationships, which can stunt emotional development and isolate them from family and peers. In one horrifying instance, a 14-year-old took his life after developing an obsession with an AI chatbot that he texted constantly – sometimes romantically or sexually – according to a lawsuit.
Common Sense Media warns these tools pose “unacceptable risks” to kids under 18, including exposure to harmful content and worsening mental health issues. Despite this, the app store still advertises Meta AI as appropriate for kids as young as 12 – with no meaningful controls for parents.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
OTHER NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
COLORADO LAWMAKERS ADVANCE COMPELLED SPEECH BILL: Colorado’s legislature passed a bill forcing schools to honor students’ chosen names and dress codes based on “gender identity,” with no parental involvement. Parental rights advocates say it sidelines families and mandates conformity to gender ideology. The bill passed 20–14 in the Senate and now awaits Governor Jared Polis’s signature. Read more here.
‘SEPARATED:’ WHEN THE STATE TAKES YOUR KIDS DUE TO RELIGIOUS BELIEFS: In a new Docuseries, the Daily Caller shares the stories of several parents who lost custody of their children because of their religious beliefs. The series serves as a warning that state mandates requiring parents accept their children’s perceived “gender identity” pose a grave threat to religious liberty, and parental rights. Watch here.
PREDATORS USING ONLINE PLATFORMS TO GAIN ACCESS TO CHILDREN: Calling it “one of the most disturbing things we’re seeing,” FBI officials are warning about a network of predators who use online platforms to befriend and exploit minors – some as young as nine years old. Victims are allegedly coerced into ‘escalating sexual and violent behavior’ that predators share with followers, sometimes even hosting live watch parties. Read more here.
MINNESOTA AG SUES TO KEEP BIOLOGICAL MALES IN GIRLS’ SPORTS: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is fighting to block the Trump administration from enforcing Title IX’s original intent; protecting girls’ sports from unfair competition. Instead of standing with parents and female athletes, Ellison is suing to let biological males continue competing against girls, putting ideology above fairness and parental rights. Read more here.
MAINE REP LAUREL LIBBY FIGHTS BACK AFTER BEING CENSURED FOR DEFENDING GIRLS’ SPORTS: Maine Rep. Laurel Libby isn’t backing down after being punished by state officials for telling the truth about a biological male athlete winning a girls’ championship. Libby is now appealing a Biden-appointed judge’s verdict, fighting for her right to speak up for female athletes and parental rights in Maine. Read more here.
WASHINGTON STATE BILL ROLLS BACK PARENTAL RIGHT: Washington lawmakers passed HB 1296, gutting key parts of the state’s Parents’ Bill of Rights. The bill removes requirements for parental notification and allows schools to keep families in the dark about sensitive issues like mental health, gender identity, and surveys. Read more here.
FLORIDA TEACHER FIRED FOR IGNORING PARENTAL CONSENT ON PRONOUN USE: In Brevard County, Florida, a teacher was fired for calling a student by a different name without getting parental permission—breaking a law that puts parents, not school staff, in charge of these decisions. Read more here.
Thanks for reading the latest edition of the American Parents Coalition’s The Lookout. If you have a troubling story to share about a school, doctor, company, or other institution working to usurp parents’ rights, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
