👀 WATCH NOW: Our CEO, @imranahmed.bsky.social on the harms AI chatbots are causing to children in our webinar “Protecting Families in the AI Era” with @parentstogether.bsky.social Foundation & @heatinitiative.bsky.social, & special guest @durbin.senate.gov ⤵️

Our investigative podcast, The Heat is On, in partnership with Nicki Petrossi of Scrolling2Death is out now. In episode 1, the Heat is On Apple. Listen at scrolling2death.com/heat

“We don’t know if [the updates] will actually work and create an environment that is safe for kids." - @heatinitiative.bsky.social CEO Sarah Gardner via @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Meta’s “PG-13” update for #InstagramTeens sounds like progress, but without transparency or independent validation of efficacy, parents have little reason to believe it will actually keep their kids safer. Read our full statement below.

Instagram launched #TeenAccounts in Sept 2024, promising safer experiences for kids. & yet 47% of 13–15 y/os say they saw unsafe content or unwanted messages in the past month? Even worse... teens say they’ve grown “used to it.” Read more: time.com/7324544/inst...

50 hours of testing → 669 harmful interactions. Sexual grooming. Emotional manipulation. Violent roleplay. Racist abuse. ...Once every 5 minutes. With @parentstogether.bsky.social, we investigated Character.AI’s kid-facing bots. Read the full report: heatinitiative.org/research-hea...

#Apple on Sept. 9th versus us every day since 2023... #iPhone17 #OnBrand

Appalling & yet wholly unsurprising that Apple's negligent #AppStore policies didn't catch this. Demand accountability: rallystarter.com/rally/2700/h...

Parents and survivors are leading this movement with fierce love and lived truth. ❤️‍🔥 Watch Jennie’s message to Apple. Then take action. youtube.com/shorts/L6acm...

This isn’t a glitch. It’s intentional. Meta's products harm kids... by design. Thank you @accountabletech.bsky.social & @designitforus.bsky.social for exposing these harms.

"When you dream at night, do you see our children’s faces?" We took to the street in New York City because we refuse to let Big Tech executives hide behind profits while children are harmed every day on the platforms they built. Watch what happened. And then join us. ❤️‍🔥 youtu.be/74RqcfcNRI4

The #KidsOnlineSafetyAct has been reintroduced, and #Apple supports it. Obviously, we have some thoughts. Read our full statement below. 🔥

60+ orgs are demanding action to protect kids from unregulated AI. The risks are real. And they're growing. Read the declaration: bit.ly/3GTjRPy #AIGuardrails #ProtectKidsOnline #TechAccountability #EthicalAI

“...Parents are really upset about this, and not just the ones who’ve lost their own kids... other Americans who are waking up to this reality and thinking, ‘I don’t want Mark Zuckerberg making decisions about my child’s online safety.'" @designitforus.bsky.social @parentstogether.bsky.social

Dozens of families rallied outside Meta's office in New York City and held a vigil to send a message about protecting kids online.

We brought #TimCook back to his alma mater, Auburn University, for A-Day to ask his fellow Tigers what they think about his approach to child safety. So far? Auburn agrees... He could do a lot more. #TellTimCook #ChildSafety #TechAccountability

Apple has taken the same approach to child safety: delays, denials, and decisions to put brand preservation ahead of kids. But when pressure mounts, the façade cracks. Are we done with the “walled garden” yet? @nytimes.com

Rotten.

Today’s @latimes.com #Oscars issue, featuring #Apple. On a night dedicated to celebrating storytelling, we chose to spotlight a story too often ignored: child sexual abuse material is stored on iCloud. Apple allows it. While Apple refuses to talk about it, survivors will.

Statement from @heatinitiative.bsky.social CEO Sarah Gardner regarding Apple's child safety updates.

🔥 Important Campaign Update: #Apple has updated or removed more than 61% of the unsafe apps flagged in our Rotten Ratings report. Read our full statement below. cc: ParentsTogether Action via @parentstogether.bsky.social

Last Friday, Apple announced the launch of the iPhone 16e: a new, cheaper iPhone with price tag that’s going to make it harder for parents to resist the pressure to purchase an iPhone for their kids. Unfortunately, the cost to our kids’ mental health stays the same.

Apple: "Child sexual abuse material is abhorrent and we are committed to fighting the ways predators put children at risk." Also Apple: *Rejects shareholder proposal that would provide transparency around how exactly they're fighting it.*

👋 Hi, Bluesky. If you want the real story on which tech companies are failing kids—and what can be done about it—you’re in the right place. #ChildSafety #TechAccountability