NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Children today are not just growing up with friends from school or down the street. Many are now talking to machines.

From chatbots that mimic classmates to apps offering late-night homework help, artificial intelligence has quietly become a part of childhood. Experts say it is spreading faster than most parents realize.

"This is moving very fast," Oliver Roberts, a law professor at Washington University School of Law, said. "Children using AI chatbots as companions is now an epidemic. Nearly 72% of children now do it. Parents should take a hard look at what technologies their children are using and how they're using them."

That warning has reached Capitol Hill. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee helped reintroduce the Kids Online Safety Act this year. The proposal would require platforms that use artificial intelligence to exercise what is known as "duty of care" when minors are involved, setting clearer limits on what AI systems can show or say to young users.

"Here in Tennessee, Senator Marsha Blackburn has been at the forefront of these issues," Roberts said. "It would put safeguards in place, prevent sexually explicit material and also alert parents when they are engaging in such conversations."

A few months ago, 44 state attorneys general, including Tennessee's, sent letters to major technology companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft. They urged executives to address the growing risk of prefatory or harmful AI content directed at children.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation last week to tighten online protections for minors. The law requires AI platforms to disclose when users are interacting with artificial intelligence.

"These provisions include a disclosure requirement, so users know the system is AI," Roberts said. "They also restrict AI from disseminating sexually harmful or suicidal content, and they mandate annual reports to state authorities. The question now is whether Tennessee will follow a similar path or if the federal government will step in with a one-size-fits-all policy."

Blackburn's bill is still making its way through Congress, but supporters hope it sets the stage for a new era of online accountability, especially when AI is in the room with kids.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/tennessee-senator-pushes-for-artificial-intelligence-safeguards-as-children-turn-to-chatbots-for-friendships/