J.D.’s view
The “Big Tobacco moment” for tech that critics have been waiting for may come too late. At the heart of the social media addiction trials like the one involving Meta that kicked off in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday are the strategies companies use to keep teen eyeballs on their feeds. But the next big wave of tech is all about removing screens and pushing software into the background.
Tech companies and teens have shifted their energies to AI. And beyond chatbots, the industry is increasingly prioritizing software that works best when you’re not looking at it: agents that read and summarize your email for you, for example, or — eventually — a robot that tidies your room when you’re not home.
Teens’ tech habits will always move faster than the companies, regulators, or courts can follow. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook weren’t the first media and tech products to spur concern over their impact on children, and chatbots won’t be the last.
Still, the same day the Meta trial began, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT for Teens, a feature that puts additional guardrails on content related to self-harm, eating disorders, and sexual conversations, while a “Study Mode” feature pushes students to understand their homework rather than just giving them answers to their prompts. The launch comes as OpenAI faces its own lawsuits stemming from several youth suicides.
Tech will also have to face a growing disdain among young people toward anything AI-coded. Nearly half of US adults aged 18 to 29 now believe the tech does more harm than good, up from 27% in 2024, a recent Gallup poll showed, even as AI usage among young people has ticked up. Luddite clubs are popping up on college campuses. And it’s not just Americans putting a premium on authenticity: An animated movie is taking off in China this week in part because it’s not made by AI, and instead was done with old-school, amateur 3D modeling by a mother-son duo.
Big Tech may indeed be facing its “Big Tobacco moment” in court. But the kids have already switched to vapes. They might not even smoke anymore.
Notable
- Social media’s business model is at stake in the Meta trial, a Vanderbilt law professor told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”