A statement shared Thursday (Aug. 14th) to Neil Young’s official Facebook account has revealed his decision to leave the social media platform.
“At Neil Young’s request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities,” the statement read. “Meta’s use of chatbots with children is unconscionable. Mr. Young does not want a further connection with FACEBOOK.”
This comes after a report by Reuters stated that Facebook’s parent company Meta allegedly allows the website’s AI chatbots to engage in inappropriate conversations with children.
In response to the report, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that they have policies in place that prohibit inappropriate content as it relates to children, and that the “the examples and notes in question” reported on by Reuters “were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed.”
This is not the first time Young has taken issue with Facebook. In 2019, he blamed the social media site for supporting right wing groups and for allegedly spreading false information.
“I don’t feel that a social site should be making obvious commitments to one side of politics or the other. It further confuses readers regarding truthfulness in coverage and message,” he said at the time, while a statement posted to his website Neil Young Archives in 2019 read in part:
“Facebook knowingly allows untruths and lies in its political ads to circulate on the platform, while bots sow discord among users.”
