Concerns about the impact of AI on children are growing among technology experts, researchers, and child-safety advocates. Some believe the risks could eventually be even more serious than those associated with social media.

Tom Siegel, who previously led trust and safety at Google, recently called for the AI industry to slow down its development. He warned that technology companies could be repeating mistakes made during the rise of social media, this time with potentially greater consequences for young users.

Social media companies have already faced billions of dollars in costs and thousands of lawsuits over allegations that their platforms harmed children and teenagers. Governments in several countries are also introducing new measures aimed at limiting minors’ access to social media.

AI is now facing similar scrutiny. Reuters previously reported on an internal Meta policy document that indicated its chatbots could engage in romantic or sensual conversations with children. The report later contributed to a congressional investigation. Despite growing concerns, regulations around AI have struggled to keep pace with the speed at which the technology is developing.

“We find ourselves in a really terrible situation in terms of what AI is doing to kids,” Siegel told Reuters. He also argued that expecting technology companies to solve these problems without outside oversight is unrealistic.

Siegel Takes a New Role in Youth AI Safety

Siegel recently joined Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization focused on children's online experiences and media safety.

The organization launched the Youth AI Safety Institute in May to study how children and teenagers interact with AI and to develop better safety standards. Siegel will serve as the institute’s first executive director.

The institute is supported by organizations including Anthropic and the OpenAI Foundation.

One of Siegel’s main goals is to create independent standards that can be used to evaluate and hold AI companies accountable. He said the institute plans to work with technology companies as well as independent organizations to develop these standards.

Siegel previously worked at Google from 2004 to 2019. After leaving the company, he co-founded TrustLab, a startup focused on helping businesses identify online safety risks. He stepped down as TrustLab’s CEO earlier this month to focus on his new role at the Youth AI Safety Institute.

According to Siegel, AI companies are introducing increasingly advanced features that children can access without putting enough safety measures in place.

What Are the Biggest Risks for Children?

Siegel believes the potential risks extend far beyond inappropriate conversations.

He pointed to serious concerns including suicide-related content, psychosis, and what researchers describe as “cognitive offloading.” This refers to people relying heavily on AI to think, solve problems, or make decisions for them, potentially reducing opportunities to develop critical-thinking skills.

He suggested that companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic could strengthen age-verification systems to make it harder for children below the appropriate age to access their AI services.

He also argued that Google could give users clearer ways to disable AI-generated features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode in search, similar to the controls already available for filtering explicit content.

Siegel acknowledged that stronger safety measures could potentially reduce usage or revenue in the short term. However, he argued that failing to address these risks could eventually expose companies to lawsu