AI Has The Ability To Save Kids’ Lives — And The Capacity To Cause Harm

The New York Times: The Brave New World Of A.I.-Powered Self-Harm Alerts
Dawn was still hours away when Angel Cholka was awakened by the beams of a police flashlight through the window. At the door was an officer, who asked if someone named Madi lived there. He said he needed to check on her. Ms. Cholka ran to her 16-year-old’s bedroom, confused and, suddenly, terrified. Ms. Cholka did not know that A.I.-powered software operated by the local school district in Neosho, Mo., had been tracking what Madi was typing on her school-issued Chromebook. (Barry, 12/9)

NPR: Lawsuit: A Chatbot Hinted A Kid Should Kill His Parents Over Screen Time Limits
A child in Texas was 9 years old when she first used the chatbot service Character.AI. It exposed her to "hypersexualized content," causing her to develop "sexualized behaviors prematurely." A chatbot on the app gleefully described self-harm to another young user, telling a 17-year-old "it felt good." The same teenager was told by a Character.AI chatbot that it sympathized with children who murder their parents after the teen complained to the bot about his limited screen time. (Allyn, 12/10)

AP: California To Consider Requiring Mental Health Warnings On Social Media Sites
California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. (Nguyễn, 12/9)

Also —

Next City: Postpartum Depression Is Costing The United States Billions. Can Cities Help?
Amaryllis Castillo gets to work at 7:45 a.m. for her job as a certified home health aide. The mother of two, who was 26 weeks pregnant when we spoke, works a six-hour shift caring for elderly patients, taking them to activities and out for lunch. At 5 p.m., she clocks in for her second job providing customer service, which she works until 9 p.m. She does that from home, which allows her to be with her children, who are 12 and 2. (Somerstein, 12/9)

CIDRAP: Problem-Solving, Social Support Tied To Native Americans' Emotional Health Amid Pandemic
A study of urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) during the COVID-19 pandemic links problem-solving skills and social support to better emotional well-being. A team led by Denver Health Medical Center and University of Colorado researchers surveyed 1,164 AIAN adults who sought care at six urban health centers in Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Utah from November 2021 to May 2022. The average age was 42.5 years, and 61% were women. (Van Beusekom, 12/9)

KFF Health News: A Centenarian Thrives Living Alone, Active And Engaged
“The future is here,” the email announced. Hilda Jaffe, then 88, was letting her children know she planned to sell the family home in Verona, New Jersey. She’d decided to begin life anew — on her own — in a one-bedroom apartment in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. Fourteen years later, Jaffe, now 102, still lives alone — just a few blocks away from the frenetic flashing lights and crowds that course through Times Square. (Graham, 12/10)

Politico: Penny Acquittal Sharply Divides New York
The acquittal of Daniel Penny in the death of Jordan Neely sharply divided the political establishment Monday in a case that has highlighted New York’s failure to adequately care for mentally ill and homeless residents. Jurors found Penny did not commit criminally negligent homicide when he placed Neely in a chokehold aboard an F train in February 2023. Neely later died, and a medical examiner ruled homicide as his cause of death. (Anuta and Coltin, 12/9)