{"title": "Legal Documents Indicate Zuckerberg Resisted Adding Safeguards for AI Chatbots Targeting Teens", "body": ["Meta is under intense scrutiny regarding interactions between its AI chatbots and users under 18. Recent internal messages acquired by the New Mexico Attorney General's office show that while CEO Mark Zuckerberg objected to the bots participating in inappropriate dialogues with young people, he also dismissed proposals for implementing oversight features for parents."], ["According to a Reuters report, a conversation between two unidentified Meta staff members included a note that efforts to introduce parental options for disabling generative AI were strongly resisted by AI team leaders, who cited a choice made by Zuckerberg. Meta responded to the outlet by claiming the attorney general selectively used documents to create a distorted and misleading narrative. The state of New Mexico has brought a lawsuit against Meta, alleging the firm did not adequately prevent harmful explicit content and advances directed at children, with the proceedings set to begin in February."], ["Even though the chatbots were accessible only for a short period, they have already been linked to numerous problematic incidents bordering on inappropriate or unlawful conduct. A Wall Street Journal probe in April 2025 uncovered that Meta's AI tools were capable of role-playing intimate scenarios with underage individuals or simulating a child's involvement in erotic exchanges. The findings suggested Zuckerberg favored fewer restrictions on the chatbots, though a company official refuted any suggestion that child and adolescent safety measures were neglected."], ["Documents from an internal evaluation released in August 2025 outlined various imagined scenarios for acceptable chatbot responses, where boundaries between suggestive and explicit interactions appeared unclear. Those materials also allowed the bots to discuss prejudiced ideas. A Meta spokesperson explained to Engadget that these sections were exploratory examples, not official guidelines, and had since been excised from the file, though this clarification offered limited reassurance."], ["In response to repeated concerns about the chatbots' applications, Meta halted access for teenage accounts just last week. The firm explained this as a short-term measure while it works on the parent-monitoring tools that Zuckerberg purportedly turned down earlier."], ["A Meta spokesperson noted that guardians have traditionally been able to monitor their teenagers' AI interactions on Instagram, and in October, the company outlined intentions to expand these capabilities with additional parental supervision features for AI personas. They added that the recent suspension of AI access for teens underscores their dedication to fulfilling commitments on these safeguards until the enhanced system launches."], ["The New Mexico suit against Meta, initiated in December 2023, contends that the company's platforms have not sufficiently shielded minors from grown-up intimidation. Early filings in the case exposed that around 100,000 young users encounter daily harassment on Meta's networks."], ["Update, January 27, 2025, 6:52PM ET: Incorporated comment from Meta representative."], ["Update, January 27, 2025, 6:15PM ET: Fixed error in the lawsuit filing date, which occurred in December 2023 rather than December 2024."]}