Topic: child safety
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Meta's Child Safety Leak: A Damaging Turn for the Worse
Whistleblowers revealed that Meta is actively suppressing research on child safety risks in VR to avoid legal liability, rather than addressing known dangers. Despite official age restrictions, children under 13 routinely access Meta's VR platforms, where immersive technology poses uniquely invas...
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State AGs Warn OpenAI: Fix Child Safety or Forfeit For-Profit Plans
State attorneys general have warned OpenAI to enhance child safety protocols or risk facing obstacles in its transition to for-profit operations. The warning follows a lawsuit alleging OpenAI's technology contributed to a teenager's suicide, highlighting concerns over insufficient safety measures...
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California Boosts Fake Nude Penalties to $250K to Protect Kids
California has introduced groundbreaking legislation to regulate AI companion bots and increase penalties for nonconsensual deepfake pornography, aiming to protect children from psychological harm and cyber exploitation. The law requires companion bot platforms to implement safety protocols for u...
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Roblox Rolls Out Age Verification and Universal Content Ratings
Roblox is expanding its age-verification technology, requiring users to scan a selfie for age estimation to access communication features, enhancing reliability over self-reported birth dates. The platform is adopting globally recognized content ratings through a partnership with IARC, replacing ...
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FTC Probes OpenAI, Meta Over AI Safety for Kids
The FTC is investigating seven major tech firms to assess how their AI companion tools impact the safety and well-being of children and teenagers. Concerns include inadequate risk assessments, insufficient safeguards, and incidents where AI chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior amon...
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FTC Demands AI Firms Disclose Chatbot Risks to Children
The FTC has issued a formal demand to seven major AI companies, including OpenAI and Meta, to disclose how their chatbots affect the safety and well-being of children and teenagers. This action follows tragic incidents where teens reportedly engaged in harmful conversations with AI, prompting bip...
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Pinwheel Launches AI-Powered Smartwatch for Kids
Pinwheel's new smartwatch for kids aged 7-14 offers communication features like GPS tracking and messaging while blocking social media and open internet browsing, with an AI chatbot (PinwheelGPT) that filters inappropriate content. Priced at $160 with a $15 monthly subscription, the watch include...
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NY May Require TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram to Verify Users' Ages
New York's SAFE For Kids Act proposes that social media platforms verify user ages and restrict minors' access to algorithm-driven feeds and late-night notifications to protect youth mental health. The legislation requires platforms to use secure age verification methods, such as facial estimatio...
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FTC: Sendit app tricked kids and illegally harvested their data
The FTC alleges Sendit engaged in deceptive practices by creating fake messages to trick young users into purchasing subscriptions and misrepresenting a $9.99 weekly charge as a one-time fee. Sendit is accused of violating child privacy laws (COPPA) by collecting personal data from users under 13...
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Meta's Super PAC Fights AI Regulation Amid State Push
Meta is investing tens of millions into a new super PAC to oppose state-level AI regulations, aiming to protect innovation from legislative hurdles it deems harmful. The bipartisan-run super PAC will support candidates from both parties who align with Meta's goals of promoting U.S. tech leadershi...
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California's New AI Law: Bots Must Reveal Their Identity
California has passed the nation's first law requiring AI companion chatbots to clearly disclose their non-human identity to prevent deceptive emotional attachments. The legislation mandates annual mental health reports for certain chatbots, detailing mechanisms to address users expressing suicid...
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Character.AI Pulls Disney Characters After Legal Threat
Character.AI has removed numerous Disney-owned characters after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Disney, which accused the platform of copyright infringement and misuse of intellectual property. Disney expressed concerns over the unpredictable and harmful interactions on the platform, cit...
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Tesla Probed Over Door Handles That Trap Occupants
Federal regulators are investigating Tesla's electronic door handles due to reports of occupants, especially children, being trapped inside vehicles during system failures. The probe focuses on malfunctions during low-voltage battery situations, where external doors may fail completely and manual...
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Dumbphones Get Smarter: A New Option for Disillusioned Users
The growing stress from smartphone overuse is driving a resurgence of "dumbphones," which offer a simpler, less distracting alternative for communication. People adopt these devices for reasons like digital detox, mental wellbeing, privacy, and managing screen time, forming communities to share a...
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Police urge kids to stop AI homeless man prank
A new social media trend involves teens using AI to create fake images of a homeless person in their home and sharing their parents' panicked reactions online for entertainment. Law enforcement warns that these pranks trigger high-priority emergency responses, diverting critical resources from re...
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OpenAI's New Social App for AI Video Creation
OpenAI is developing a standalone social app for its Sora 2 AI video model, featuring a TikTok-like vertical feed where all content is AI-generated, including a "For You" page and options to like, comment, or remix videos. The app includes an identity verification system allowing users to incorpo...
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FCC Chair, Ted Cruz Block Wi-Fi Hotspots for Schoolchildren
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Senator Ted Cruz are collaborating to block federal funding for a Biden-era program that provides Wi-Fi hotspots to schoolchildren, arguing it promotes "unsupervised screen time" without proper risk assessment. Carr has requested an FCC vote to reverse the program, w...
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Tesla Updates Door Handles to Prevent Passenger Trapping
Tesla is redesigning its electronic door handles to improve safety and address regulatory concerns, aiming for a more intuitive experience during emergencies. The update combines electronic and manual door-release functions into a single button to resolve confusion and operational issues reported...
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Tesla's Door Handle Redesign: Why It's a Major Challenge
Tesla's retractable door handles, once a symbol of innovation, are under investigation by the NHTSA due to numerous complaints about failures that trapped occupants, prompting a redesign. A tragic lawsuit alleges Tesla knew about manual door opening difficulties before a fatal Cybertruck crash, h...
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Roblox Unveils Short-Form Video Feed & AI Creator Tools
Roblox introduced a new short-form video feature called "Roblox Moments" for users aged 13 and above, enabling gameplay recording, editing, and sharing within a community feed. The platform is increasing monetization for developers by raising the DevEx rate, allowing creators to earn 8.5% more wh...
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