SAFETY TIP OF THE WEEK

While big tech companies promise to promote AI literacy and applications in schools, we should be wary of the potential consequences this can have for our kids. Monitor changes to policy on technology, and consider the ways these policy changes can affect your kids.

TODAY’S TOPIC

Big Tech's Pledge to Kids and Schools

As AI’s capabilities are explored and expanded, AI literacy will likely be the future of education world-wide. Countries around the world are preparing to integrate AI tools and education into their school curricula. In the U.S., over 60 big tech companies have pledged to help build educational programs to advance AI literacy for young people. Sounds like we’re making progress, right?

Well, whenever large, profit-oriented companies show up for a seemingly noble cause, we should take a moment to consider what they stand to gain. Just around the time these companies made this pledge, the president’s “big beautiful bill” rolled back guardrails for these companies, reducing regulation and accountability. Opponents of the deregulation are concerned about how this may impact children’s safety online, and for good reason.

Big tech companies like Meta were revealed to have known about the negative effects of Instagram on young users, but exploited that information anyway for profit. Letting companies like Meta have access to children’s education and data, with less regulation, should give us pause. As we explore new possibilities with AI technology, we have to maintain some standard of ethical use of user data, especially when it might lead to the exploitation of children’s data.

_{WHAT CAN YOU DO?}

It is important to stay informed about these policies that affect your children, and staying informed can be more difficult than we might think. This is where AI literacy becomes really important. You need to understand how it works, how it produces information for you, and how it can collect your data without your knowledge or consent. So often, AI tools are integrated in the technology we use every day without us knowing at all. Below are some tips for educating yourself and your child about AI integration in the technology you use: 

• Spend Some Time with Your Child Exploring AI’s Capabilities and Shortcomings: Knowing what free AI tools can and can’t do is a good first step for introducing your child to the fact that it is far from perfect. Try some of the activities and exercises from Common Sense with your child!

• Familiarize Yourself with the Ways AI Collects Your Data and Who Can See It: It can feel overwhelming to begin the process of understanding AI and its diverse applications. Understand that its primary process is the collection and organization of data. When AI is used by companies, that data comes from consumers. You may be having your data collected by apps that you did not even realize were collecting it. 

• Know when Companies Include AI Clauses in Their Terms of Service: We are presented with digital contracts whenever we use social media, apps, and websites, and we often don’t read the contracts before accessing the services of these tools. Indeed, it would be extremely time consuming to do so for every single app or website we use. Thankfully, there is a site that helps parse and summarize “Terms of Service” contracts by simply copying and pasting! You can find it at Terms of Service, Didn’t Read.

• Keep in Touch with Your Child’s Teachers about AI in the Classroom: If your child’s school has started or is beginning to integrate AI literacy into their curriculum, ask questions and make your voice heard! Your school should be able to provide a coherent explanation of their AI literacy programs, and they should be able to identify where the curriculum is coming from.

▶ Slang Word of the Week: “Period/Periodt” – a word to confirm the validity of a statement or to conclude a conversation.