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A Reckoning on Social Media Addiction Came Late for Many Kids. Will AI Safety Be Different? – WTOP News

  • Following an $18 billion settlement with Meta, advocates and regulators are shifting focus to emerging risks of artificial intelligence for children, applying lessons from social media safety efforts.
  • Restricting AI is complex, Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute, noted, because it offers significant educational upsides unlike social media, making simple time limits difficult to justify.
  • A Pew Research Center survey found 64% of U.S. teens use AI chatbots, with 47% using them for fun and 42% for summarization, while OpenAI implemented teen-specific account restrictions.
  • While some youth safety legislation has passed Senate subcommittees with bipartisan support, federal progress remains slow compared to state-level actions as lawmakers grapple with balancing innovation and safeguards.
  • Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of 'The Anxious Generation,' warns AI poses a greater threat through 'cognitive offloading,' urging proactive measures to avoid repeating the 'sleepwalking' mistakes of the previous tech revolution.
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Winnipeg Free PressWinnipeg Free Press
+19 Reposted by 19 other sources
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A reckoning on social media addiction came late for many kids. Will AI safety be different?

Years after the risks of social media for kids first became apparent, U.S. states this summer reached an accord hailed as a turning point for child safety. Meanwhile, a new generation of children has begun engaging with an even more potent technology: artificial intelligence.

·Winnipeg, Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press broke the news in Winnipeg, Canada on Monday, October 5, 2026.
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