Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy becomes chair of Common Sense Media's Teen AI Safety Institute

Common Sense Media has appointed former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy as chair of its Teen AI Safety Institute, responsible for evaluating AI products used by children. The organization describes its approach as "crash-testing AI," working across six areas: research, standards, industry commitments, product evaluation, release, and advocacy, and making scorecards and risk reports public rather than only giving them to the evaluated companies. Murthy said that preventing catastrophic AI risks should not obscure the threats AI already poses to children and families today, calling this "a today problem, not a tomorrow problem." The institute cites data that 59% of children and teens use AI to search for information, 55% use it for homework, 2025 research shows more than half of U.S. teens regularly chat with AI companions, and another 42% of students use AI for mental health support. Common Sense Media acknowledges that some funders produce AI products the institute may test, but says the institute is responsible for standards, research, and evaluation, and maintains editorial independence over published conclusions.