Child-rights groups demand safeguards in AI tools from the start
SOS Children's Villages Worldwide and Terre des Hommes want child protection built into artificial-intelligence applications. Their joint study says young people already encounter AI through education, social media and search, often without recognizing it. Features that help personalize tools can also expose them to misinformation, bias and dependence. The groups call for stronger regulation and skills that help children navigate digital spaces critically, while warning that legal safeguards lag investment in these products.
Artificial Intelligence··Midday
Children encounter AI before recognizing it
Child protection should be built into AI applications from their earliest design, say SOS Children's Villages Worldwide and Terre des Hommes. Their joint study prompted warnings published in Germany on Sunday. The organizations say young people already meet these systems throughout everyday life, sometimes before recognizing what they are. WELT identifies education, social platforms, search, entertainment and creative tools as places where the technology is embedded.[1], [2]
Personalization, creative functions and easier access can benefit young users, but the same design choices can bring misinformation, bias, dependence and commercial exploitation, according to the study as quoted by WELT. Terre des Hommes board spokesperson Joshua Hofert highlights fabricated images, algorithms that steer behavior and emotional dependence. He argues that children grow up with AI and need safeguards inside every application, rather than protection being left behind as technology companies earn billions.[1]
BR24 also reports the organizations’ demand for stronger legal controls and support to shield young people from those dangers. Its account identifies Hofert as the board spokesperson and carries his call for protection from the start.[2]
Groups call for law and digital skills to catch up
Sabina Schutter, a board member at SOS Children's Villages Worldwide, says legal regulation is losing ground as companies pour large sums into AI products. She wants comprehensive measures to reduce risks for children. Her appeal also covers education: young people need the skills to question what they encounter online and to use digital spaces safely and confidently. Those demands sit alongside the organizations’ call for stronger regulation carried by BR24.[1], [2]
