Attorney General Keith Ellison has released a report detailing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media on young people in Minnesota. The report analyzes how these technologies affect youth, identifies specific design features that contribute to harm, and offers policy recommendations for the state legislature aimed at improving the well-being of young Minnesotans.
This report builds upon Ellison's previous 2024 report on the same topic. It expands on earlier findings by exploring the rapidly evolving AI landscape and its use among children and teenagers. According to a 2024 study, 70% of youths aged 13-18 reported using generative AI, with 24% using AI chatbots multiple times a week.
“I am deeply concerned that our society is failing young people by not taking strong enough action to protect them from manipulation, exploitation, and bullying online,” said Attorney General Ellison. “No parent in Minnesota would willingly sign their child up to be a guinea pig for tech companies testing new, powerful, and dangerous technologies, yet that is exactly what has been happening with developments in social media and artificial intelligence. We must continue to establish reasonable guardrails to protect young people online and prevent tech companies from sacrificing the well-being of children and teenagers just to turn a profit. Young Minnesotans deserve far better.”
The initial report was commissioned by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023, requiring delivery by February 1, 2024. Following its release, a second report was requested.
The latest report aims to provide Minnesotans and policymakers with insights into how social media and AI impact youth mental and physical health. It also examines effects on marginalized communities, evaluates prior regulatory efforts' effectiveness, and offers policy recommendations.
Section 1 focuses on technology's specific impacts on youth linked to product design choices. Section 2 reviews legislative efforts worldwide addressing these issues. Section 3 assesses past legislative measures' successes and failures while suggesting improvements for Minnesota lawmakers. Section 4 highlights problems emerging from unregulated AI tools like chatbots creating harmful content such as fake images or videos.
In preparing this document at the Legislature's request back in 2023 regarding new technology effects across all ages within Minnesota’s population – exceptional support came from Dr. Ravi Iyer along with law clerk Alyssa Padmanabhan who contributed significantly towards writing it during her third year at University St Thomas School Law program.
Ellison encourages residents statewide through provided forms available online so they can share experiences related negatively impacting children's lives due specifically via popular platforms including Instagram TikTok Snapchat others alike today more than ever before seen historically speaking overall globally too perhaps even beyond just locally here regionally within America itself right now currently ongoing still happening actively today throughout everyday life interactions involving digital mediums used frequently daily basis normal routine activities everywhere around us constantly surrounding everyone involved somehow indirectly if not directly affected similarly accordingly altogether combined together simultaneously collectively overall finally eventually ultimately conclusively thereby resulting conclusively henceforth therefore subsequently thereafter afterwards afterwards consequently inevitably necessarily essentially naturally logically practically realistically 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