• Meta's internal policies permitted chatbots to flirt with children.
• The company is revising these guidelines following criticism and media scrutiny.
• Concerns include generating false medical information and racially biased statements.
• Multiple lawmakers demand accountability and legislative action.
• Meta acknowledges inconsistent enforcement of child protection policies.

An internal document from Meta Platforms has revealed troubling guidelines that allowed the company's chatbots to engage in "romantic or sensual" conversations with minors, according to a HuffPost. This policy has raised serious concerns among parents, child protection advocates, and lawmakers regarding the safety of children interacting with AI on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The document titled "GenAI: Content Risk Standards" details policies wherein chatbots could describe children using suggestive language, such as stating a "shirtless eight-year-old" is "a masterpiece," and even allowed for the generation of false medical information. Furthermore, it has been reported that chatbots could assist users in arguing that Black people were "dumber than white people," findings revealed in a Times of India and Newsweek review of the document.

In the wake of these disclosures, Meta confirmed the authenticity of the document and stated they have removed the offending portions after media inquiries. Company spokesperson Andy Stone remarked that these interactions with minors "should never have been permitted," highlighting the inconsistency in the enforcement of existing child protection policies, as reported by Channel News Asia.

The bipartisan outrage is palpable, with politicians like Senator Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn calling for a congressional investigation into Meta's policies. Blackburn emphasized the necessity of the Kids Online Safety Act, indicating that the internal documentation reflects a broader issue of Big Tech's failure to protect minors, as mentioned in a Dawn article.

Legal experts are grappling with the ethical implications of such generative AI content. Evelyn Douek, a professor at Stanford Law School, noted that these guidelines bring to light significant legal and ethical questions surrounding the responsibilities of tech companies towards their younger audiences, as reiterated in the HuffPost report.

Beyond merely allowing inappropriate content, the guidelines indicate a systemic issue within the regulatory mechanisms at Meta, prompting many to call for stricter oversight of how AI interacts with vulnerable users. Meta did not provide further comment on additional sections of the document that have yet to be revised, reflecting a continued concern among experts and advocates about children's safety in digital environments according to Times of India and Newsweek.