Moms Allowing Men to Stalk their Girls Online, Sesame Street for Syrian Refugees, and Florida’s Social Media Ban

Happy leap day, everyone. It only comes every four years and boy is it exciting. 

On to this week’s headlines.

Girl Influencers Managed by Moms, Stalked By Men

In this week’s grossest update, A New York Times investigation uncovered that Instagram accounts run by mothers are showcasing their young daughters as influencers and catering to men sexually attracted to children and willing to pay to see more.

The New York Times analyzed over 2.1 million posts and interviews with affected families to reveal the disturbing reality of exploitation and harassment faced by child influencers.

A separate investigation by The Wall Street Journal furthers the story by revealing that two teams inside Meta raised alarms about new paid subscription tools being used by moms to sell exclusive content featuring their girls.

The New York Times | A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men

Remote Learning Success via Sesame Street for Syrian Refugee Children

A partnership between Sesame Street and the International Rescue Committee developed the largest-ever humanitarian intervention specifically intended for small children’s development.

A randomized controlled trial found that Syrian refugee children in an 11-week fully remote learning program, which combined Ahlan Simsim (which means “Welcome Sesame” in Arabic) videos with live support from local preschool teachers via cell phones, showed learning progress comparable to a year of in-person preschool for overall development, emerging literacy, emerging numeracy, motor skills, social-emotional skills, and quality of play. 

MIT Technology Review | Yes, remote learning can work for preschoolers

Florida Bans Social Media for Minors

Florida’s legislature passed legislation to ban anyone under the age of 16 from social media platforms by requiring the platforms to delete underage users’ existing accounts and use a third-party verification system to prevent underage users from setting up new accounts.

The measure was passed by the state’s House of Representatives in a vote of 108-7 within hours of being approved by the state Senate.

The measure now goes to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis who has expressed concern over a policy that would overrule parents by putting the decision-making in state government’s hands.

Reuters | Florida lawmakers pass bill to ban social media for anyone under 16 | Reuters

New Organization Focused on AI Safety

Google’s DeepMind has established a new organization dedicated to AI safety, focusing on ensuring artificial intelligence technologies are developed and deployed responsibly. 

This initiative comes amidst growing concerns over the rapid advancement of AI capabilities and their potential societal impacts.

TechCrunch | Google DeepMind forms a new org focused on AI safety

What the New KOSA Would Mean for Kids and Tech Companies

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) looks poised to become legislation and, if so, would significantly impact tech companies by mandating them to implement stronger measures to protect minors from harmful online content.

In this interview (transcript provided), NPR’s Don Gonyea talks with reporter Lauren Feiner about the implications of KOSA, which has strong bipartisan Senate support but also some strong critics who worry about privacy and censorship.

NPR | How tech companies would be affected by the Kids Online Safety Act

Registration for Global Tech Fair Now Open

Registration is now open for Coolest Projects, a global technology fair inviting young innovators to showcase their creative tech projects. 

The event from National Geographic is aimed at inspiring the next generation of tech enthusiasts and empowering young minds to explore the possibilities of technology.

National Geographic Kids | Coolest Projects registration is open! 

Comments?

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