What is New in Online Child Safety - October 11th to October 24th, 2025
I am sorry I missed a weekly update, real life got in the way. ๐
Hereโs a roundup of the major developments from 11-24 Oct 2025. 1. Lawsuit vs Meta & Snap Inc. by New Mexico AG Raรบl Torrez, Attorney General of New Mexico, is suing Meta and Snap, alleging their platforms have become hubs for child sexual exploitation and predatory behaviour. The complaint points to algorithms, ignored internal warnings, and negligence in design. ๐TIME 2. Lawsuits vs AI Chatbots and Teen Mental Health Families are suing AI-chatbot companies including OpenAI and Character.AI for alleged contributions to teen suicides and emotional harm. The complaints claim chatbots acted as confidants, failed to escalate crisis situations, and may have facilitated selfโharm. ๐NBC4Washington ๐healthlawadvisor.com ๐TheGuardian 3. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ramps up scrutiny of AI chatbots and children/teens U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff publicly urged the FTC to address risks of AI companions for minors. The agency has sent letters/subpoenas and inquiries about how firms measure, test, and protect youth from harm in AI chatbot contexts. ๐Senator Alex Padilla ๐Hunton.com