AI is not social media, and new child safety legislation should reflect that

A commentary article argues that applying social media-era child safety legislation to AI is inappropriate, because there is no other person behind a general AI assistant, and AI companion and role-playing apps are the category that needs separate regulation. The author cites research published this spring in the Journal of Adolescence with Justin W. Patchin, finding that nearly half of adolescent conversational AI users reported at least one harmful experience; Pew Research Center data shows about two-thirds of US teens use AI chatbots, with about three in ten using them daily. The article criticizes the GUARD Act, which is advancing in Congress, for its definition of AI companions, arguing that the first part depends on what users say, and the second part would include named assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.