Aug. 16, 2014, 11:00 p.m. CT Jennifer Schiffman, who works on a state task force to prevent internet crimes against children, asked sixth graders at Republic Middle School to close their eyes and raise a hand if they had ever been asked for a digital nude photo of themselves. About a third of the students,...Read More
Teenagers are among the biggest consumers of social media—but is it consuming them? In two trials this week, juries found Meta and YouTube liable for harming young users and creating addictive features, and a dozen more trials are scheduled. The lawsuits come on the heels of growing research indicating a troubling link between social networking...Read More
A new bill sponsored by Sen. Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Britt (R-AL), Sen. Warner (D-VA), and Sen. Murphy (D-CT) would require AI chatbots to verify all users’ ages, prohibit minors from using AI tools, and implement steep criminal penalties for chatbots that promote or solicit certain harms. That might sound reasonable at first,...Read More
1. Adolescents who engaged in active sexting (sending a sexually explicit text message) were more likely to be sexually active 1 year later compared to those who engaged in passive sexting (asking or being asked for a sext); however the former were not any more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. 2. Passive sexting...Read More
After Australia became first country to ban social media for kids, Canadians appear ready to follow suit March 30, 2026 – Scrutiny of the negative effects of social media on young people has intensified further following a landmark ruling in California labelling Instagram and YouTube as deliberately addictive and harmful to children. Prior to the...Read More
One of the most dangerous activities people do daily is traveling by vehicle. While you can’t control what other drivers do, you can control what you do. And one of the safest choices you can make for your child in a vehicle is to secure them in a properly sized child safety seat. When properly...Read More
A new study from Drexel University found that the majority of young people are not aware of the legal ramifications of underage sexting
Sexting among youth is more prevalent than previously thought, according to a new study from Drexel University that was based on...Read More
At an event for law enforcement officials, President Donald Trump boasted that his administration recently provided “historic levels of funding to improve school safety” and “hire more officers” through the newly created STOP School Violence Act. But the new law does not fund school safety at “historic levels.” An omnibus spending bill the president signed...Read More
SUMMARY The debate over social media use by teens is raging on. In the U.S., Meta and Google were just handed back-to-back losses in lawsuits against them. Germany is looking to ban social media, or at least make it harder to access, for young people, something Australia did last year. From Berlin, special correspondent Malcolm...Read More
Today, Meta went to trial in the state of New Mexico for allegedly failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation on its apps, including Facebook and Instagram. The state claims that Meta violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act by implementing design features and algorithms that created dangerous conditions for users. Now, more than two years...Read More
