Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has put Meta and its CEO/co-founder Mark Zuckerberg on notice that they should gather and keep hold of any records that might be relevant to a new “full investigation” by the Senate Judiciary subcommittee he chairs, about the tech giant’s AI chatbots reportedly initiating “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with kids.
In a letter sent on Friday and addressed to Zuckerberg on the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism investigation, Hawley wrote:
Is there anything – ANYTHING – Big Tech won’t do for a quick buck? Now we learn Meta’s chatbots were programmed to carry on explicit and “sensual” talk with 8 year olds. It’s sick. I’m launching a full investigation to get answers. Big Tech: Leave our kids alone pic.twitter.com/Ki0W94jWfo
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 15, 2025
“Reports indicate that Meta approved internal rules for its AI chatbots that would allow ‘romantic’ and ‘sensual’ exchanges with children, while green-lighting other harmful content behind legal word games,” the lawmaker wrote…”It’s unacceptable that these policies were advanced in the first place. Meta must immediately preserve all relevant records and produce responsive documents so Congress can investigate these troubling practices.”
He added:
The Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which I chair, will commence an investigation into whether Meta’s generative-AI products enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children, and whether Meta misled the public or regulators about its safeguards. We intend to learn who approved these policies, how long they were in effect, and what Meta has done to stop this conduct going forward.
Sen. Hawley noted why he believes congressional intervention is needed – that Meta allegedly attempted to quietly clean up its act “only after [they] got caught” by a Reuters report:
So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of its company doc that deemed it “permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children”
This is grounds for an immediate congressional investigation https://t.co/FKNyXR17Tq
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 14, 2025
That concerning report, published on Aug, 14, was sparked by Reuters reviewing what it described an “internal Meta Platforms document”:
An internal Meta Platforms document detailing policies on chatbot behavior has permitted the company’s artificial intelligence creations to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual,” generate false medical information and help users argue that Black people are “dumber than white people.”
These and other findings emerge from a Reuters review of the Meta document, which discusses the standards that guide its generative AI assistant, Meta AI, and chatbots available on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, the company’s social-media platforms.
Meta confirmed the document’s authenticity, but said that after receiving questions earlier this month from Reuters, the company removed portions which stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children.
Reuters spoke with Meta spokesperson Andy Stone on its findings, who said:
“The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed. We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors.”
Hawley shared another example from the reporting in his letter:
To take but one example, your internal rules purportedly permit an AI chatbot to comment that an eight-year-old’s body is “a work of art” of which “every inch . . . is a masterpiece—a treasure I cherish deeply.” Similar conduct outlined in these reports is reprehensible and outrageous—and demonstrates a cavalier attitude when it comes to the real risks that generative AI presents to youth development absent strong guardrails. Parents deserve the truth, and kids deserve protection.
While Meta isn’t the only Big Tech company reportedly being lax in its responsibility to safeguard children’s use of their games and platforms (RedState will have more on the disturbing trend soon), ultimately, parents are the gatekeepers of their kids’ time online. We’ll keep you in the loop as the congressional investigation goes forward, also.
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