NCYL’s new report on AI’s impact on youth is spotlighted by Politico
Briefing, published today, encourages policymakers to urgently establish guardrails around fast-growing technologies
By Willis Jacobson, National Center for Youth Law Media Relations Manager
As artificial intelligence and related technologies continue to expand and permeate throughout society — including within many of the public systems upon which we all rely — special attention must be paid to how this new digital ecosystem will impact the rights and well-being of the youngest generations who are growing up alongside it.
That’s why the National Center for Youth Law today published a first-of-its-kind briefing that serves both as an eye-opening report and a call to action. And it’s why it’s promising to see the briefing featured this morning in Politico Pro’s Morning Technology (paywalled) newsletter.
The 32-page briefing explores how this rapid rise — and, in many ways, acceptance — of AI and related technologies has impacted, and will continue to impact, young people, often without their consent or knowledge. The briefing, which points to several alarming case studies, encourages urgent action from policymakers, and offers recommendations to help in building regulatory frameworks that prioritize the interests and well-being of children.
The report being spotlighted by Politico Pro, with its audience of decision-makers and those with particular interest in the decisions being made, is encouraging.
From the April 18 Morning Technology newsletter:
“[The briefing] comes on the heels of yesterday’s House Energy and Commerce Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee hearing, where some lawmakers and witnesses emphasized that the rise of AI heightens the need for greater protections for kids’ data and safeguards online. … It outlines how the use of AI systems could discriminate against kids in areas such as child welfare, immigration, health care and juvenile justice due to biased algorithms, and could have long-lasting impacts on a child’s life.”
Evidenced by President Joe Biden dedicating a portion of his State of the Union address last month to speak to the specific concerns of AI’s impact on children, this issue is not going away.
Importantly, alongside the recommendations, the briefing calls on policymakers to provide youth a seat at the decision-making table. Their investment and insight is critical in the development of any policies that impact them, but especially in the case of something with as much potential to influence their lives as AI.
Shakti Belway, NCYL’s executive director and one of the briefing’s authors, succinctly expressed this urgency in the report’s introduction:
“Recent technological innovations are astounding; however, their vast potential to improve the human experience will falter until we create real solutions to mitigate the dangers. This is especially so for children and youth, who have the most at stake. It is time to include young people and take action, in partnership, now.”
More attention must be paid to how this technology, particularly as it seeps into so many aspects of everyday life, is affecting, and will continue to affect, youth. A spotlight from Politico is a great start.
Willis Jacobson is the Media Relations Manager at the National Center for Youth Law. A member of NCYL’s Communications team, Willis strives to elevate NCYL’s work in the media and ensure that coverage involving NCYL’s focus areas — or any topics involving young people — is accurate, respectful and shared through an appropriate cultural and racial-justice lens.
