Babies are born to bond with other humans. When they bond, instead, with human-like AI systems, we don’t yet know what that means for their brain development. But we do know caution is warranted. Thank you to the Brookings Institution for publishing our commentary www.brookings.edu/articles/pol...

The FTC studying the impact of AI chatbots on children’s mental health is good, overdue news. Just as we set guardrails for food and medicine that reach children, we need guidelines and transparency standards for AI companions before they flood the marketplace. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ftc-...

Artificial Intelligence is not just technology. It’s an artificial biologic with tremendous population health implications—both promising and perilous. In today’s TIME magazine, I call for AI engineers to take a Hippocratic Oath promising, first, to do no harm. time.com/7312350/ai-e...

'The teenage brain is still developing—particularly in regions of impulse control and risk assessment—making young people less equipped to judge the accuracy or safety of advice.' We simply can't allow children's brains to be testing grounds for unregulated AI. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/o...

Grateful to @familiesinschools.bsky.social for engaging me in this important dialogue around AI and early childhood. If we are to avoid the same mistakes we made with social media, we need robust research into AI’s effects on developing brains. Now. www.familiesinschools.org/2025/08/13/a...

“Here is where AI’s agreeability – so crucial to its rapid adoption – becomes its Achille's heel. Its tendency to value short-term user satisfaction over truthfulness – to blow digital smoke up one’s skirt – can isolate users and reinforce confirmation bias.” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/o...

American families need more support to flourish. My colleagues from the Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families and I urge Congress and the Administration to establish a National Commission on Children and Families for the 21st Century. Read our issue brief: lnkd.in/ghG3niVJ

'AI policy should advance AI innovation by ensuring that its potential benefits are responsibly realized and widely shared.' Important guidance from a multidisciplinary group of AI policy experts, calling for an emphasis on scientific understanding over hype. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Few things can make a father prouder than his daughter changing the world....by teaching about field experiments at the World Youth Economic Forum!

I decided to throw my hat into the ring for #SXSWEDU 2026, where I'm hoping to present concrete principles for responsible use of AI in early childhood. My panel is called BORN TO BE WIRED 😉 Do me a favor and vote for it in the #PanelPicker! participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

I’m glad to see @unicef.org updating its guidance on AI and children, especially the potential risks when AI offers companionship. When children’s attachment systems are activated by algorithms rather than caregivers, we’re in uncharted territory. www.unicef.org/innocenti/st...

Your baby doesn’t need fancy toys or gadgets for healthy brain development. What they need most is lots and lots of your words and nurturing interaction. Grateful to The Bump for letting me weigh in here 🩷 www.thebump.com/a/newborn-toys

“We have never established that good child care belongs among the pantheon of American values.” So true! The first 5 years are the most rapid period of brain development and the foundation for, well, everything. Great interview here with @ehaspel.bsky.social. hechingerreport.org/why-american...

All my faves in @swartzmark16.bsky.social's interview w #ChelseaClinton on the 10th anniversary of @toosmalltoofail.bsky.social. #JoanLombardi @drdanasuskind.bsky.social tinyurl.com/32r5hykj

I’m grateful to @axios.com for tackling this topic and allowing me to weigh in. We need to be extremely intentional about the tech we introduce to young children, whose brains are at risk of being wired away from the relationships so central to our humanity. www.axios.com/2025/07/21/a...

Best quote for parents struggling with an AI powered toy:

What do my kids need to know about AI? or "Mattel, I have questions." What if I was that new mother, over a decade ago, desperately searching for answers as to how to be a "good" mother? I would have been tempted. Hear from Dr. Dana Suskind, leading child development expert at the Univ. of Chicago

"The question isn’t whether to embrace innovation, but how to ensure these tools enhance rather than replace the irreplaceable bonds and experiences that build brains.” Thank you to @outthinkmedia.bsky.social for this conversation on AI and early childhood. outthinkmedia.com/2025/07/01/w...

AI is already impacting children’s developing brains in profound ways, and kids’ wellbeing is not at the center of tech industry innovation, @drdanasuskind.bsky.social writes‬. “Every time we replace a human with AI, we risk rewiring how a child relates to the world.” thehill.com/opinion/tech...

I’m grateful to The Hill for publishing my oped calling for more information on AI’s impact on early brain development. Tech can be a powerful force for good—as a cochlear implant surgeon, I rely on it to help children hear! But we must apply it with intention...especially in early childhood.

What happens when a robot is wrong? A recent study reveals that young children trust robots — even when they mess up. Some fascinating findings ... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This is a huge win for Montana’s children, families and business. It’s also a win for advocates who are fighting for more universal access to high-quality child care in other states. Investing in early childhood is one of the smartest, soundest investments a state can make...

New research shows kids as young as 5 modifying their behavior based on what robots "think" about them As AI enters classrooms & homes, we're seeing early evidence of kids forming real social bonds with machines — for better or worse Full study here ⬇️ srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Right now the U.S. Senate is negotiating the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which already passed the House. This Bill focuses on a variety of programs, but I want to talk about one part that intersects with the work I do as a researcher, a social scientist, and a pediatric surgeon.

Public health advocates are warning that newborn hearing screenings are at risk of being cut because of drastic cutbacks at federal health agencies. This would have grave consequences for our children. A 🧵 time.com/7278169/baby...

'But how can we scale economic literacy?' I'm so proud of @johnlist.bsky.social, my partner in life and work, and I'm thrilled for the growing number of students whose curiosity will be ignited by his Economics for Everyone curriculum! news.uchicago.edu/story/econom...

I am thrilled to be headed to Abu Dhabi later today for #BX2025, the only global event dedicated to exploring the powerful intersection of behavioral science and public policy.

Every move to weave AI further into our education systems should work to support, not replace, humans—especially in early childhood, when caregivers' nurturing interactions build the neural pathways that wire children for human connection So, so critical. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

I just had the pleasure of visiting Kimberly Noble at her NEED Lab at ColumbiaUniversity and delivering a guest lecture to her undergrads. So grateful for their work to advance our understanding of how early life experiences influence brain development—helping ensure science shapes policy 🧠

Last week, it was reported out that the White House budget proposal eliminates all funding for Head Start. This is deeply troubling to me as a pediatric physician, an expert in early childhood development, a mother, and an American. A 🧵...

Happy Easter everyone! I hope your day is filled with Easter egg hunts, love, and happiness. For our Easter weekend, @drdanasuskind.bsky.social and I surprised my daughter, #GretaList, at the half-marathon she ran in Newport, Rhode Island.

Testimony for the Record: The Status of Our Nation’s Children | @BruceLesley.bsky.social - First Focus on Children firstfocus.org/resource/tes...

Exciting news! The TMWCenter is launching a new evidence-based, tech-driven program to help parents boost children’s brain development at home. We're seeking Head Start centers in Chicagoland to participate in the pilot—stipends included! More here ⬇️ tmwcenter.uchicago.edu/resources/20...

I'm thrilled to be speaking at #BX2025, hosted by Behavioral Science Group and BIT, in partnership with @newyorkuniversity.bsky.social Abu Dhabi. Looking so forward to discussing the latest developments in the field and hearing from the brilliant minds behind them!

We’re blown away by the beauty and humanity captured in this @womenstreetphotogr.bsky.social exhibit curated by our dear friend Gulnara Samoilova. Her lens truly informs our understanding of the world. Grateful to share this experience with @johnlist.bsky.social and two of our daughters ♥️

This was a productive episode to do since I remain with the thought that the most important area of science we can be engaged in today is the science of scaling, or the science of using science.

'My research comes out of the fact that not all children do as well as others after surgery. I love surgery. I adore my patients. But it’s actually not as hard as many of the complex issues in this world.' Thanks for hosting @johnlist.bsky.social & me, Freakonomics! freakonomics.com/podcast/poli...

You’re never too busy to show kindness to a child. When a delay in deplaning begins to make her preschooler feel anxious, this Mom thinks fast: quietly singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to avert a meltdown. (Thread 🧵)

The share of 4th graders at “below basic” reading is 40%—the largest in 20 years. When we search for solutions, let's remember that learning begins on the first day of life, not the first day of school. The vast majority of brain growth occurs by age 3. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/u...

Reading with your baby isn’t always as simple as it might seem.  Earlier this week, a parent asked how I’d advise reading to a toddler who may not have the attention span for a full book and who, when handling them, often tears the pages.  Thread 🧵

'Even if generative AI yields productivity gains and speeds up medical research, there will be trade-offs.' Especially when AI is applied to early childhood, where it risks rewiring—or replacing—what makes humans ... human. We must proceed with caution. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

'Simply put: What parents know matters, and it shows up in their children’s learning readiness.' Thank you @earlylearningnatn.bsky.social for this fantastic article on TMW Center's impact. Parents and caregivers are the heartbeat for of our body of work ❤️ earlylearningnation.com/2024/12/pare...

"All of these anti-family policies—no paid leave, costly health care, and lack of child care—have contributed to the unique stress of being a parent in America."

AI devices are almost certain to become electronic babysitters—just as previous generations of parents (understandably!) adopted TV as a tool for lightening caregiving duties. Thank you to @wsj.com for letting me weigh in on the peril—and promise—of this. www.wsj.com/articles/the...

'Long before our little ones are old enough to talk about their feelings, their emotions—and the way we react to them—are registering important messages in their brains.' Important look at infant mental health, starting in the womb. www.mother.ly/baby/baby-he...

On Oct. 9, KinderCare, the largest private provider of child care in the country, went public and is now publicly traded on the stock market. What does this mean for the future of large, for-profit child care chains? www.the74million.org/articl...