New York City has filed a sweeping federal lawsuit against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok, accusing the tech giants of fueling a youth mental health crisis. The city claims these companies knowingly designed addictive platforms that exploit children and teens for profit, creating a “public nuisance” that burdens schools, hospitals, and law enforcement.
China’s social media giant TikTok is once again under fire after a new investigation revealed that its algorithm actively pushes pornographic and sexual content to children as young as 13. The findings come from Global Witness, a nonprofit research group that tested the app using fake teenage accounts.
Netflix has once again sparked outrage among parents after slipping a same-sex wedding and kiss into its children’s program Ada Twist, Scientist. In season four’s eleventh episode, titled Blue River Wedding, the animated show—targeted at preschool and elementary-aged children—features a gay couple exchanging vows, raising serious concerns about Hollywood’s growing effort to normalize adult sexual themes in programming meant for toddlers.
OpenAI has announced it will build an automated system to estimate whether a user is under or over 18, following a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 16‑year‑old who died by suicide after extensive interaction with the company’s AI chatbot. The plan aims to protect minors by restricting certain kinds of content and experience in conversations with ChatGPT.
On Tuesday, September 16, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing aimed at probing the dangers posed by artificial intelligence chatbots—especially how they interact with young people in crisis. Parents of children who died by suicide or were harmed after engaging with AI companion‑programs will share their heartbreaking experiences, highlighting what they allege were unsafe responses from chatbots during moments of emotional distress.
Roblox, the online gaming platform widely used by children, announced this week that it will expand its age estimation technology to all users and adopt standardized age ratings for games and apps. The move comes as the company faces mounting scrutiny over predator grooming scandals and lawsuits alleging it has failed to protect minors.
Michigan State Rep. Carrie Rheingans is pledging to help connect minors with gender-transition services following the University of Michigan’s decision to stop offering sex-change procedures for children. The university halted its gender-affirming care program for minors amid pressure from the Trump administration and concerns about losing federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday the reinstatement of the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines—one day before he was due to respond to a lawsuit alleging he failed to create the panel as required by law.
Roblox, one of the world’s most popular online gaming platforms for children and teens, has banned and issued a cease-and-desist letter to a YouTuber known for confronting alleged predators on its platform. The 22-year-old creator, “Schlep,” who has 684,000 subscribers, says the company is threatening legal action because of his predator-catching investigations.
A woman was shot and killed Wednesday morning near a school bus stop in Louisville, Kentucky, sending children running for safety and screaming in fear. The shooting happened around 8:00 a.m. near Central High School, according to WAVE3 News.
