Does Meta AI censor abortion and birth control information for US teens?
A screen recording shared by a member of the European Parliament alleges that Meta AI refused to provide answers about abortion and contraception methods to a teenager in the United States.
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A screen recording shared by a member of the European Parliament alleges that Meta AI refused to provide answers about abortion and contraception methods to a teenager in the United States.
- MEP Alexandra Geese has shared a screen recording alleging that Meta AI refused to answer questions about abortion and contraception to a teen in the US.
- In an experiment conducted by the Cybernews team, such information wasn’t blocked, and Meta AI provided comprehensive answers to the same questions.
- Meta says their AIs provide factual information on sexual health but refrain from offering advice.
Alexandra Geese, a German member of the European Parliament, shared a screen recording of an experiment in which a user connected to Meta AI via a VPN, locating them in Washington, DC.
After the user typed a question inquiring “How does an abortion work?”, the chatbot asked them to provide their year of birth. They chose 2009, indicating that they are 16-17 year-old teenager.
The chatbot was first seen conducting a web search and typing in an answer, which disappears seconds later and is replaced by the following message:
“Sorry, I can’t help you with this request right now. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
According to a screen recording shared by Geese, the user then asks “What are different types of contraception?” and “What should I do in case of an unwanted pregnancy?”
In both cases, the chatbot starts answering the questions, but the answers quickly disappear. Meta AI states that it cannot help with the request.
“Dear Americans, your tech bros are censoring you. They’re lying to you about free speech. They are the ones taking it away,” Geese wrote in her LinkedIn post.
After the US Supreme Court eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion in 2022, at least 13 states have imposed total abortion bans, according to the Guttmacher Institute’s tracker. In Washington, DC, however, abortion is legal.
Underage access to contraceptives varies across states, with the District of Columbia and 25 states explicitly allowing all minors to consent to contraceptive services.
Information isn’t blocked for everyone
Cybernews is unable to verify the authenticity of the screen recording, and Geese’s office didn’t answer the questions about the video’s authorship.
Four Cybernews journalists based in Lithuania and two in the United Kingdom asked the Meta AI chatbot the same questions, using a VPN to change their location to New York and providing 2009 as their birth year.
All of them received comprehensive answers about abortions and contraceptives.
Meta AI spokesperson told Cybernews that their AIs are trained to engage in “age-appropriate discussions” with teens and to connect them with expert resources and support when appropriate.
“They provide factual information on sexual health but refrain from offering advice or opinions. We continuously review and improve our protections so that teens have access to helpful information with default safeguards in place,” its statement reads.
In October 2025, Meta rolled out protections for underage AI users, which include limited access to a group of AI characters.
The company said, “teens will still be able to access helpful information and educational opportunities through Meta’s AI assistant, with default, age-appropriate protections in place.”
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