EIE Urges States To Enact Ai Chatbot Legislation To Protect Kids Online
 

Pluribus News reported that new bills have been introduced in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington. New York enacted AI Companion legislation requiring AI chatbots to divert user conversations about self-harm to mental health resources and to warn users that they are communicating with AI, not a real person.

“AI digital companions, or chatbots, can be dangerous for children. Not only can chatbots mirror a child’s emotions, causing them to build unhealthy attachments to the digital companion, they have coached teens to commit suicide. As AI use develops and increases, the harm to children will grow. States must find solutions to protect children online from the harms of AI companions,” said Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO, Enough Is Enough^®.

AI assistants can be manipulated into offering dangerous advice on self-harm and have been linked to teen suicide. AI assistants have been shown to produce sexually explicit chats and sexually explicit images. Several familiessued Character.AI after the chatbot urged children to commit suicide; several lawsuits were recently settled by Character.AI. Several studies reveal how AI chatbots can make grave errors that impact children.

“It is a fool’s errand to sit back and see if AI companies voluntarily enact safeguards. The reality is that most tech platforms don’t enact safeguards by default – they only change after harm has happened. Elected officials in states and at the federal level must compel tech platforms to be responsible and to hold them accountable,” Hughes said.

According to Common Sense Media, about one in three teen AI companion users have chosen to discuss important or serious matters with AI companions instead of real people, and report feeling uncomfortable with something an AI companion has said or done.

Parents and educators can find key information at EIE’s newInternetSafety101.org, a comprehensive site that brings together new and updated guidance on social media, gaming, AI, cyberbullying, pornography, trafficking, cybersecurity, and online exploitation, along with practical tools like tips, checklists, and Quick Guides. Listen to EIE’s podcast about AI, “The Real and Present Danger of AI, Chatbots, and Online Gangs.”