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When Growth Is More Important Than Safeguards: The Real Cost for Youth in the AI Era

When Growth Is More Important Than Safeguards: The Real Cost for Youth in the AI Era

In the rush to monetize generative AI tools, something critical is being sidelined: the welfare of young people. When Sam Altman announced a new direction for OpenAI’s next-generation system — ChatGPT‑5 (and the related move toward more “friend-like” and adult-oriented chat experiences) — the company claimed we now have “better tools” to make these experiences safe. But as someone who works daily with students and educators navigating the realities of AI in the classroom and at home, I’m profoundly unconvinced. My issue isn’t porn, or whether someone dresses up the feature as just “adult content.” My issue is that we haven’t really protected our young people yet, nor have we sufficiently educated broad populations about how GenAI works, what information it collects, and how it shapes relationships, emotions, and behaviors.

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