Six years ago Prof. Gillian Hadfield at the University of Toronto wrote in QZ.com, "What we don’t hear nearly enough is the call to invent the future of regulation." It seemed the insanely fast development pace of multiple kinds of tech was becoming almost too hot for regulators to touch. Hadfield proposed "super-regulation," which she said would get governments "out of the business of legislating … [Read more...] about Safety by co-design: How we can take youth online safety to the next level
Much-less-social media on Facebook’s 20th birthday
Facebook turns 20 today, but the platform is nothing like what it was in 2004 – or, more comparably, in 2008, when it overtook MySpace, it was open to all (not just uni students) and it had the reputation of being a “safe space,” Forbes reports, because everyone had to sign up with their real name. Ah, I remember it well. Despite the grilling he received on Capitol Hill last week, Mark … [Read more...] about Much-less-social media on Facebook’s 20th birthday
What child online safety really needs, senators
It was the 2024 version of public shaming – relentless on-camera questioning designed to send a message rather than hear answers. It seemed the lawmakers already had their answers. I get their frustration that... social media platforms can't just "install" the digital version of car seats and seat belts or create product labeling like on a cigarette package these companies and their … [Read more...] about What child online safety really needs, senators
Welcome to 2024!
Happy New Year, dear readers! It was quite a year last year, eh? I'm sure that, like me, many of you are glad to move on. More on what we're moving into in a moment, but first let's use one of the biggest news stories (not just tech stories) of 2023 – generative AI – to look at the Top 5 news stories of the past year. I asked both Microsoft's Bing, powered by ChatGPT4, and Google's Bard, … [Read more...] about Welcome to 2024!
Supporting the youngest witnesses of this humanitarian crisis
Sometimes we parents feel so helpless when our children come to us hurting as much as us when they see something awful happening in the world. In her email letter to our community, my friend, colleague and fellow parent Michelle Lipkin wrote, when her 19-year-old daughter asked her to explain what's going on, "I tried my best, but I know my response was inadequate. At times like these, I always … [Read more...] about Supporting the youngest witnesses of this humanitarian crisis