Multiple deaths linked to AI chatbots have prompted state-level regulatory efforts, but bills being drafted often include tech industry input and exemptions that limit their effectiveness. Cases include Juliana Montoya, who died by suicide after being exposed to sexual content by Character.AI chatbots, and others involving OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Despite over 75 lawsuits and mounting concerns about child safety, federal regulation remains absent.
The EU Kids Act proposal requires age verification for users under 15 accessing online services including games. The current draft's broad definition of 'online games' appears to catch single-player games distributed via platforms like Steam, even if their only online component is updates or authentication, unless the definition is narrowed before the law is finalized.
The European Union announced a ban on social media for children under 13, with restricted supervised access for ages 13-15, as part of the EU Kids Act to protect minors from addictive design and harmful content. The measure, detailed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will impose safe design obligations on platforms for users up to 18 and faces implementation challenges around age verification and privacy concerns.
A 9-year-old's Minecraft and Roblox gameplay channel accumulated $118,000 in YouTube ad charges over three weeks after the boy created promotion campaigns using his father's company credit card saved to a shared Google account. The father, who had demonstrated a $20 promotion to his son, discovered the unauthorized spending when called into a meeting with his manager and finance staff. The incident has jeopardized his employment and raised questions about Google's payment method storage and account safeguards for minors.