Tech companies are under increasing scrutiny for how their products, like social media and AI chatbots, affect young customers.Just last week, Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was grilled in a New Mexico courtroom about child safety on his social media platforms. Also moving through the court system, a California lawsuit alleging tech companies deliberately addict and harm kids. And it’s all coming as more school districts are trying to equip students and parents with tools to embrace the inevitable rise of AI technology.Earlier this year, Tuscaloosa City Schools held a free AI literacy night at a public library to educate parents and students about artificial intelligence.Chris Jenks is a parent of a Northridge High School student.”I think a lot of us underestimate how much our kids are using AI right now,” Jenks said. Santita Word, a parent of a high school student, also shared her thoughts at last month’s event.”You think you know and then you come to settings like this, and realize you don’t know as much as you think you know, ” said Word. “We’ve always had AI. Spellcheck was AI. But we have really expanded. I’m here to learn as much as I can.”Kyser Thompson is founder of AI for the Rest of Us and The Known Collective in Birmingham. He emphasized the importance of AI literacy.”With parents and kids, the literacy part is a very big deal. You know this. We all know this, including me. It’s complicated,” he said. “These are complicated tools. It’s a complicated world. These products are being released faster than any other tech ever in history.”During the AI literacy night, parents and students participated in demonstrations showcasing typical ways the technology is used in the classroom. Several students mentioned AI was helpful when writing papers, helping them deal with “writer’s block”.Thompson suggested a little hands-on investigation could be surprisingly helpful for most parents. He encourages them to test out different apps their child may be using. “I don’t have a Snapchat account, but I got on just to see what these built-in chatbots were like. And it was pretty eye-opening,” he said. “I was like, wow. This is cool in some ways. This is a little bit terrifying in other ways. But just having five minutes of experiencing it is very helpful.””I think monitoring on the parents’ part is going to be vital. There are things a child might be more comfortable asking a ChatGPT or Copilot,” said Word.”We want to work together to make sure that we trust one another and that we help our kids learn to use these tools in a way that benefits them and benefits everyone overall,” Jenks said. It’s clear many parents know their kids are already dabbling in AI, but some don’t know where to start when it comes to familiarizing themselves with the technology. AI For The Rest of Us can help you get started. They’ve put together a list of helpful suggestions parents can use to talk to their kids about AI. You can find it here: A Parent’s Starting Guide To AI
Tech companies are under increasing scrutiny for how their products, like social media and AI chatbots, affect young customers.
Just last week, Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was grilled in a New Mexico courtroom about child safety on his social media platforms. Also moving through the court system, a California lawsuit alleging tech companies deliberately addict and harm kids. And it’s all coming as more school districts are trying to equip students and parents with tools to embrace the inevitable rise of AI technology.
Earlier this year, Tuscaloosa City Schools held a free AI literacy night at a public library to educate parents and students about artificial intelligence.
Chris Jenks is a parent of a Northridge High School student.
“I think a lot of us underestimate how much our kids are using AI right now,” Jenks said.
Santita Word, a parent of a high school student, also shared her thoughts at last month’s event.
“You think you know and then you come to settings like this, and realize you don’t know as much as you think you know, ” said Word. “We’ve always had AI. Spellcheck was AI. But we have really expanded. I’m here to learn as much as I can.”
Kyser Thompson is founder of AI for the Rest of Us and The Known Collective in Birmingham. He emphasized the importance of AI literacy.
“With parents and kids, the literacy part is a very big deal. You know this. We all know this, including me. It’s complicated,” he said. “These are complicated tools. It’s a complicated world. These products are being released faster than any other tech ever in history.”
During the AI literacy night, parents and students participated in demonstrations showcasing typical ways the technology is used in the classroom. Several students mentioned AI was helpful when writing papers, helping them deal with “writer’s block”.
Thompson suggested a little hands-on investigation could be surprisingly helpful for most parents. He encourages them to test out different apps their child may be using.
“I don’t have a Snapchat account, but I got on just to see what these built-in chatbots were like. And it was pretty eye-opening,” he said. “I was like, wow. This is cool in some ways. This is a little bit terrifying in other ways. But just having five minutes of experiencing it is very helpful.”
“I think monitoring on the parents’ part is going to be vital. There are things a child might be more comfortable asking a ChatGPT or Copilot,” said Word.
“We want to work together to make sure that we trust one another and that we help our kids learn to use these tools in a way that benefits them and benefits everyone overall,” Jenks said.
It’s clear many parents know their kids are already dabbling in AI, but some don’t know where to start when it comes to familiarizing themselves with the technology.
AI For The Rest of Us can help you get started. They’ve put together a list of helpful suggestions parents can use to talk to their kids about AI. You can find it here: A Parent’s Starting Guide To AI