Advocates Urge Early Action on AI Risks After Social Media Settlement
After states and Meta reached an $18 billion settlement over teen social media addiction, advocates are pressing for faster action on artificial intelligence risks to children. The article says social media safety efforts offer lessons for AI regulation, including age checks and limited access for minors. Experts warn that AI's harms are still emerging and that society should not repeat the delay that occurred with social media.
After a summer agreement between states and Meta over teen social media addiction, with $18 billion in settlement terms, child-safety advocates are pointing to that fight as a warning for AI. They note that AI firms already use some tools first seen on social platforms, such as age checks and more limited experiences for minors.
Children encounter AI not only through generated posts but also by talking with chatbots, sometimes for homework and sometimes in ways experts call unhealthy. AI toys are marketed to toddlers, and researchers are still asking how such access may shape developing brains. Parent advocate Kristin Bride and pediatrician Dana Suskind both caution against waiting to discover harms as they unfold.
The push after the Meta settlement could influence how quickly states, schools, and AI developers address children’s use of chatbots, generated content, and AI toys. Families and educators may gain clearer safeguards, while companies could face pressure to build age checks and limited minor experiences into products. Because AI’s long-term effects remain uncertain, policies may need frequent revision, and the benefits or unintended consequences for young people, parents, and public institutions may not be clear for years.