If there's a better feeling than getting to inbox zero after a month on the road, I would very much like to know what it is. This is better than any spa.

Manhattan road closures for a half marathon are so maddening - so much traffic being diverted because a bunch of people needed a medal to get up and run this morning.

Losers: The Democrats, whom Americans blame for banning their favorite app; the Court, which spent its capital on a case it didn’t need to decide; the First Amendment, which the Court weakened; Congress, which gave us this dumb law; the American people, whose actual interests have been ignored. /1

Watching the Loomer / Musk showdown on the other site is bringing back fond memories of writing long, excruciatingly detailed policy assessments of whether online behaviours merit suspension. I’m glad that X continues to uphold its position on doxxing, whatever else might be going on there.

Deeply hoping I get to DC on time for FOSI, but a bridge strike in Baltimore may have other plans for me. PSA to rideshare drivers: get your 💰 by heading to an Amtrak station along the Northeast Corridor!

Hello, new followers! 👋🏾 I’m Vaishnavi—a safety strategist on a mission to create wiser, safer, and smarter tech for kids and teens. If you’re into trust & safety, ethical AI, or youth-focused safety by design, we’ve got lots to chat about. 💬

#trustandsafety friends this is such a great listen re: #safetybydesign. I loved @vaishnavi.bsky.social’s insights on SBD and safer online experiences for children and teens. Safe design benefits all, not just kids. m.youtube.com/watch?v=avkr...

A new issue of Quire in which we cover Australia's social media ban, the global push for age-based restrictions, and what fractured public trust in tech platforms means for them going forward quire.substack.com/p/social-med...

Great post for parents navigating their kids' use of social media by the always thoughtful @aagh.bsky.social

Feeling like a local - just clomped through a film set swearing mildly because they’ve blocked my street off and are obstructing my taxi (yes, taxi). Also, the muscle memory that just posts to X first is hard to correct. Tips welcome!

The US surgeon general called for social media companies to come with warning labels for consumers, when what we need are better rules for companies: quire.substack.com/p/the-us-sur...

VYS’s next issue of Quire is out! While nuance around youth wellbeing and technology seems increasingly unlikely, here are some thoughtful ways to think about building responsibly for AI’s interaction with children: quire.substack.com/p/building-a...

Just last month, it fell to Gov DeSantis to veto a bill that would ban those under 16 from social media, on the basis that was too extreme. The more moderate bill he just approved? Bans under 14s from social media, requires 14 / 15 year olds to get parental consent. www.nbcnews.com/tech/florida...

I wrote for @techpolicypress.bsky.social about KOSA and what its popularity means for the future of child safety regulation in the US. Spoiler: Regulation is not always a net positive, but there are ways to make it work, which will require companies to rethink their approach to youth design.

Jay Shetty didn’t actually live in India as an ascetic monk and Hassan Minhaj took creative liberties with his standup. Big deal. I am more interested in the venality of the entertainers who recognised the potential for profit in these desi men, and made them the sensations they are today.

Parent-run accounts of children and the creator economy highlight the skewed incentives many parents have when posting their children online. You can't design products assuming that all parents have their children's best interests at heart, or fully know what those are. nytimes.com/2024/02/22/u...

*taps sign*

Kind of nice that this is the most engagement I've had on Bluesky so far... makes me miss spicy Twitter threads. My job is to build better products and policies for young people. But tracking legislation & support for / opposition to it is all important. Can't deny that today's news is a big deal.

Concerns around censoring speech and politically motivated AGs were the two biggest arguments from tech companies and industry coalitions; both are now significantly weaker. With Schumer's backing, can KOSA can find space on a (very) crowded Senate floor? If it does, it'll pass. (!!!)

State AGs would still be responsible for enforcing industry safeguards around children's data and design features that promote more social media use. The bill unfortunately still promotes parental controls, despite evidence that such controls are ineffective and erode children's privacy.

Another significant update: The bill is clearer than before that it is targeting design features, not specific pieces of content, though industry coalitions like Chamber of Progress still argue that this is censorship of teens.

Most significantly: Updated KOSA clarifies that the FTC, not state AGs, will enforce the duty of care provision. This was a key criticism from KOSA critics, concerned about politically-motivated AGs censoring speech they didn't agree with, and creating a chilling effect on speech.

Whoa. Senator Schumer has endorsed the Kids Online Safety Act. Bipartisan support is now at 62 senators, making it likely to be the first piece of child safety legislation in 25 years(!) to head to the Senate floor. Notable updates to the bill that made this possible: (🦋, give me threaded posts!)

From this week on, the DSA applies to all platforms. Highlights for youth protection (cont'd from last post): - Design with highest level of privacy, safety and security for minors by default - Adopt standards for protection of minors - Participate in codes of conduct for protecting minors

Happy DSA For All! From this week on, it will apply to all platforms. Highlights for youth protection: - No advertising to minors based on profiling them - Terms of use must be easily understandable to minors - Expedited processing of reports from trusted flaggers that could harm minors (cont.d)

Great to see more publications talking about the ineffectiveness of parental controls, and what responsible design for children can look like: www.wsj.com/tech/persona...

It’s worth debating KOSA’s merits and drawbacks but it’s hard to deny that it reflects deep seated frustration from both parents and young people about the ineffectiveness of social media companies’ self-regulation to date. There’s going to be so much more to come.

250 parents signed this full page ad from @accountabletech in @WSJ calling on @SenSchumer to bring the Kids Online Safety Act to a floor vote. Unforgettable names and ages of children, and a marked change from more abstract debates around youth safety online just a few years ago.

Though I will say, it's ✨great✨ that the US Senate thinks TikTok is incredibly safe for children. They've asked TikTok virtually no question on child safety, only more xenophobic questions about how Chinese of a Chinese company they really Chinesely are.

90 minutes into the #childsafety hearing, this seems much more tactical and solutions-oriented than previous Senate hearings. Senators have been demanding more clear cut answers from CEO's and asking them to directly state whether they support proposed legislation.

Meta says its parental controls protect kids. But hardly anyone uses them. - @naominix.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Heading into 2024 with a slew of child safety legislation in the works, and limited consensus on the best model legislation that will protect children without chilling speech. Exciting year ahead if you are a policy wonk like me! www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

“Our speed and accuracy is constantly analysed and compared to colleagues…It is pretty soul-destroying. We are the people in the nightclub who sweep up the mess after a night out.”

We just launched our Workplace Justice Initiative for Asian American workers to share their experiences, access legal counsel, and connect to community support! If you or someone you know thinks you have experienced anti-Asian discrimination at work, visit justice.standwithasianamericans.com

It’s been a big week for great longreads so it took me a minute to get to this great column from @bencollins.bsky.social — it astutely outlines how news has metamorphosed into theater and how The Youth are no longer willing to suspend their disbelief as the drama onstage grows ever more absurd 🧵🧵

Over the last few months, I contributed to this report examining how specific types of access to AI foundation models impacts the degree and nature of risk they pose. This unpacks the standard open/closed narrative and can hopefully ignite a valuable debate. securityandtechnology.org/ai-foundatio...

Cultivating intimate friendships and community is getting harder, and this post spoke to me. It reminded me of my wide network of social acquaintances, and how I’d sooner poke myself in the eye than ask 95% of them for help, because I am an Independent Woman. rojospinks.substack.com/p/the-friend...

It's 30 under 30 season! So also the season to leave this right here.

Brands can't always know what content their ads are running against, but you always hope it isn't against exploitative child imagery. New scoop by @WSJ shows that this sadly might be the case. I shared some thoughts on technically viable ways forward for @Instagram Reels.

Put it this way

OK *now* can we sign off for Thanksgiving? Future of LLMs still seems promising?

This @laurengoode.bsky.social interview with Del is very good. People really, really don't know what it's like working in trust & safety at scale. www.wired.com/story/del-ha...

Salt at every stage of the cooking process, not just at the end. Keep tasting along the way to see how well salted the dish is.

2023 DC freakouts about TikTok teens loving Bin Laden are 2007 freakouts about Internet teens loving Loose Change. At this point, we've run out of plot lines.

It’s easy to ignore the social well-being component of emotional health, so this specific callout in Singapore’s urban planning priorities is heartening.

The Singapore government’s new misinformation game, hosted at the main library branch, is pretty great. I assumed the role of Swayer and realised I had formidable powers

As Arturo Béjar prepares to testify in front of the Senate, I talked to @washingtonpost.com and @naominix.bsky.social about the dangers of indiscriminately building products targeting youth markets without accounting for their rights - safety, privacy, expression.

It's always strange to transition from months of lurking to actually posting, but here we go.