TL;DR: AI, Algorithms, and Australia

In this week's Plugged In by Wired Parents, the FTC launched an investigation into AI chatbot safety, New York released algorithm rules for under-18s, and Australia's social media ban gained UN backing. Here's what parents need to know.

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What happened: The US Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation this week into AI chatbot companies over child safety concerns. The probe examines how platforms like ChatGPT, Character.AI, and others protect minors.

What they're investigating: The FTC is looking at age verification practices, data collection from minors, potential harm from inappropriate content, and whether companies have adequate safeguards for children using AI tools.

Why this matters: This is the first major US regulatory action specifically targeting AI chatbots and children. Unlike social media, which has faced years of scrutiny, AI tools have operated with minimal oversight until now.

What could change: If the FTC finds violations, companies could face significant fines and be required to implement stricter safety measures. This investigation could set the standard for how AI platforms treat child users.

What parents need to know: The investigation signals that regulators view AI chatbots as a child safety issue requiring oversight. If your child uses AI tools, this regulatory attention may lead to new safety features and restrictions in coming months.

Source: FTC

What happened: New York released new regulations this week requiring social media platforms to modify their algorithms for users under 18. The rules specifically target addictive features and content recommendation systems.

The key changes: Platforms must limit algorithmic content recommendations for minors, restrict notifications during certain hours, and provide parents with tools to monitor algorithmic exposure. Companies have until early 2026 to comply.

Why this matters: New York is the first US state to regulate how algorithms specifically target children. This moves beyond content moderation to address how platforms keep kids engaged.

What other states are watching: California, Utah, and several other states have similar legislation under consideration. New York's implementation will likely influence how other US states approach algorithm regulation.

What parents need to know: These rules focus on the mechanism that keeps kids scrolling - the algorithm itself. Even if you're outside New York, watch how platforms respond. Changes often roll out globally rather than region by region.

Source: Spectrum News

What happened: Australia's ban on social media for children under 16 received backing from world leaders at the UN this week. Multiple countries expressed support for the approach and indicated they're watching implementation closely.

Why this matters: Australia's law, which takes effect in late 2025, is now being viewed as a potential model for other countries. When a policy gets UN-level attention, it signals that similar regulations could spread globally.

What other countries are doing: Several nations have indicated they're considering similar age restrictions. The UN support suggests this isn't just an Australian experiment - it's part of a broader shift in how governments view children's access to social media platforms.

What parents need to know: Even if you're not in Australia, these regulatory trends affect how platforms design safety features and age verification systems globally. What starts as regional policy often influences platform changes worldwide - as evidenced by Meta's global teen account rollout this week.

Source: The Star

Between 2010 and 2015, smartphones went from rare to everywhere—and depression rates among teenage girls jumped 33%. The same pattern showed up worldwide.

The evidence is serious: Teens using social media 3+ hours daily are twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety. Instagram made body image problems worse for 1 in 3 teen girls, according to Facebook's own internal research.

But the research is complicated:

Most studies show Instagram use and depression happen together—but can't prove one causes the other. The problem likely goes both ways: depressed teens use Instagram more (looking for connection), while heavy Instagram use increases depression risk (from comparison and FOMO). This creates a cycle.

What actually matters:

The takeaway: This isn't simple. Parents need to watch how their own kid responds and make decisions accordingly. How teens use Instagram matters just as much as whether they use it.

Sources: Jonathan Haidt (The Anxious Generation), Child Mind Institute, Yale Medicine, Oxford Internet Institute

What Changed: Meta announced Teen Accounts have rolled out to hundreds of millions of teens globally. The accounts include automatic privacy settings, new restrictions on direct messages and Live features. US schools can now report bullying directly to Meta for priority review within 48 hours.

Who It Affects: All teens under 18 on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger

What this means for families: - Teens' accounts now have default privacy protections controlling who can contact them and what content they see - Schools partnering with Meta get faster responses (48 hours) when reporting safety concerns.

What parents can do: - Parents can review their teen's privacy settings, message restrictions, and time limits within the Teen Account features. This week's report on Instagram parental control failures shows these tools don't always work as intended.

Source: Meta announcement, 25 September 2025

What Changed: OpenAI launched parental controls for ChatGPT on 29 September following a lawsuit related to a teen tragedy. The opt-in controls let parents and teens link accounts to activate safety features including content filtering, chat memory controls, quiet hours, and the ability to disable voice mode and image generation.

Who It Affects: Families with teens using ChatGPT. The platform has 700 million weekly active users, many of them teenagers.

What this means for families:

Source: OpenAI announcement via X, Reuters, 29 September 2025

For more articles from the week, head over to Wired-Parents.com

A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet and without using a bridge or a boat. How did the dog do it?

The river was frozen.

Congrats to Brian, Perth for the correct answer!

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