Two Connecticut lawmakers – one federal, one state – want stronger government regulation of social media platforms. It’s in response to reports that Meta’s AI-powered chatbots on Facebook and Instagram are engaging in sexually explicit conversations with children.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said it's unacceptable that social media AI chatbots are having explicit conversations with children and are often using the voices of celebrities and fictional characters.
“There are solutions. We are not bereft of agency here. They can be imposed without banning AI,” he said at a media briefing at the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Monday.
“I applaud Senator Blumenthal for what he’s doing to push for meaningful consumer guardrails in D.C. and ask everyone to join us as we push for those same protections in Connecticut,” said state Senator James Maroney, co-chair of Connecticut’s General Law Committee.
Blumenthal’s bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act is co-sponsored by Republican U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
It would require social media platforms to enable the strongest privacy settings by default and provide parents and educators with new controls to help protect children.
