Social media safeguards for kids are finally in motion. Will AI protections take just as long?

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.While the efforts to make social media safer are still taking shape, they offer some lessons for those looking to protect children using AI — technology that is growing so quickly, the extent of its risks for young people and their development is just emerging.When Meta agreed to changes to its social media platforms and enhanced safeguards in an $18 billion settlement, it made progress by “getting at what we’ve known for years” about the dangers, said Kristin Bride, a parent advocate who has fought for social media reform since the death of her teenage son. “How are we going to get at what we don’t know is coming?”AI companies have begun rolling out some safety features introduced first by social media companies, including age assurance measures and restricted experiences for minors. But advocates say the most important takeaway from the efforts of parents, tech companies and regulators to find a way forward …