Quite a few parents aren’t convinced social media and AI are safe, and have been adapting accordingly

When it comes to their kids, many parents don’t trust tech companies any more.

Social media companies have spent the better part of the last decade arguing that their platforms are safe for teens, but quite a few parents aren’t convinced. They, along with a growing number of regulators, have increasingly accused companies like Meta of designing products that are addictive to younger users.

AI firm OpenAI, thrust into the public consciousness much more recently than Meta, has had to defend against dozens of lawsuits alleging chatbot ChatGPT lacks safety guardrails. Now, workers at the world’s leading AI firms have warned that their employers prioritize competing with each other over building their models safely.

Both the AI and social media companies have denied the claims, and introduced additional safety measures such as parent-linked teen accounts.

Still, for many parents, lawsuits and public accusations have been enough to change their minds about whether to allow their children to use both social media and AI.

The Guardian asked parents whether their perspective on their children’s use of social media or AI has changed in the last year and whether they plan to let their kids use either technology. The vast majority of those who responded said they no longer wanted their children to use social media, and many of them said they also try to steer their children away from AI.

“They are the most precious thing in my life,” Caroline Gray Ford, a 42-year-old parent from Cambridge, UK.

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