Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is back on the offensive to get her online safety bill passed in the aftermath of last month's report that Meta permitted its chatbots to engage with "romantic or sensual" conversations with children.
In her podcast on Thursday, Blackburn doubled down on her Kids Online Safety Act, calling Meta's actions "unconscionable."
"We've been on this for five years, trying to get this passed so that Big Tech has the responsibility to put the safety and well-being of children ahead of profits," Blackburn said on "Unmuted With Marsha."
Blackburn repeated her call for an investigation into Meta's practices after Reuters reported that an internal policy document permitted chatbots to "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual."
"Meta is using our children as a product," Blackburn said. "They're making money off of them. They are selling their information. So if you have a child or a grandchild, when they are online, they are the product.
"I have called for a congressional investigation into what Meta is doing because it appears that they're aware of what is happening."
Last month's report wasn't the first for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. In April, reports found that Meta's "digital companions" talked explicitly about sex with users, including children. That report found the chatbots from Meta AI would "sometimes escalate discussions that are decidedly sexual," regardless of whether the bots are simulating the persona of minors.
The Kids Online Safety Act was first introduced in May 2023 by Blackburn and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. It introduces a "duty of care" for tech platforms, requiring them to minimize harmful content such as bullying, self-harm, substance abuse, exploitation, and algorithmic addiction.
The Senate approved the bill by a 91-3 vote in July 2024, marking the first major tech industry digital-safety reform since 1998. However, it failed to get a floor vote in the House before the end of the 118th Congress.
Newsmax wires contributed to this report.
Mark Swanson ✉
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