How chatbots perceive sexting by adolescents

Abstract

This study compares the perceptions and attitudes of two AI chatbots – Claude and ChatGPT – towards sexting by adolescents. Sexting, defined as sharing sexually explicit messages or images, is increasingly common among teenagers and has sparked ethical debates on consent, privacy, and potential harm. The study employs qualitative content analysis to investigate how AI systems address the complex issues related to sexting.

The chatbots were queried on Dec 2023 about the legitimacy of sexting in adolescent relationships, the non-consensual sharing of sexts, and privacy risks. Their responses were analyzed for themes related to the appropriateness, potential harm, and the specificity of recommendations the chatbots offered.

Key differences emerged in their ethical stances. Claude declined to render definitive value judgments, instead emphasizing consent, evaluating risks versus rewards, and seeking to prevent harm by providing concrete advice. ChatGPT was more abstract, stating that appropriateness depends on societal norms. While Claude provided a harm-centric framing of potential emotional, reputational, and legal consequences of activities such as nonconsensual “revenge porn,” ChatGPT used more tentative language. Finally, Claude offered actionable guidance aligned with research insights, while ChatGPT reiterated the need to respect consent without clearly outlining the next steps.

Overall, Claude demonstrated greater nuance in reasoning about ethical sexting issues, while ChatGPT showed greater subjectivity tied to societal standards.