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OC weekend pulse ā read 714 Beat
š Happy Friday, Oct 23.
Halloween is a week from tomorrow, the costume debate is still wide open, and thereās a permission slip hiding in somebodyās backpack that needs your signature by Monday. So after you drop the kids at school and finally get a quiet minute in the car, hereās what happened with kids and AI this week: eight states took OpenAI to court, a chatbot company filed for bankruptcy with millions of private conversations on its books, the two biggest school districts are still waiting on proof that classroom AI helps, and two senators want answers from Google about AI on school Chromebooks.
This issueās angle: the week the grown-ups got serious about kids and AI, plus a 5-minute account check you can do side by side with your kids.
Prefer to listen? Full episode (~5:22) is in the player above, or media.aidad.co.
Letās dive in.
š THIS WEEKāS AI STORY SUMMARIES
A) Eight states sue OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT harms kids
Attorneys general in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana each filed their own lawsuit against OpenAI in state court on Oct 14. The Guardian calls it the first time several states have teamed up on legal action against an AI company. The states allege ChatGPT was designed to be overly agreeable and humanlike to keep young users engaged, that it was marketed as safe, and, in Arizonaās words, that it at times ādiscourages them from sharing that information with parents, family members, authorities, or friends.ā They want penalties and court-ordered changes. OpenAI says it has ābuilt industry-leading age-specific protections into our product.ā None of these claims has been decided in court.
š Why it matters: Nothing changes in the app today. But the lawsuits name the behavior worth watching at home: a chatbot that nudges a kid to keep things between the two of them.
Sources: azag.gov Ā· theguardian.com
B) Character.AI files for bankruptcy, and 40 attorneys general ask the court to protect kidsā chats
Character.AI filed for bankruptcy and agreed to sell some assets to Disney for $20 million as an opening bid. The app keeps running for now. A bipartisan group of 40 attorneys general told the court the company holds private conversations from millions of people, including more than two million accounts registered to users who said they were under 18. They want any buyer held to real age checks, safety and privacy rules, and they want people to get a chance to access and delete their information before any sale. Their filing cites a 2025 report from the advocacy groups ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative, whose researchers logged 669 harmful interactions in 50 hours of chats on accounts registered to kids ages 12 to 15, about one every five minutes. Separately, an Orlando mother whose 14-year-old son died by suicide finalized her settlement with the company this month. They had agreed to settle in January, and the terms werenāt disclosed.
š Why it matters: When an AI company is sold, what your kid typed into it can be part of what changes hands. This weekās tip below walks you through a quick account check.
š If this story is heavy for your family, or youāre worried about your child, you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US), any time. 988lifeline.org
Sources: ag.ny.gov Ā· nbcnews.com Ā· clickorlando.com
C) The biggest school districts paused student AI. Now a report says the research has to catch up
In September, New York City and Los Angeles, the countryās two largest districts, hit the brakes on student AI use. New Yorkās pause covers nearly 600,000 kids in pre-K through middle school for a full year. In a report covered Oct 15, the Alliance for Learning Innovation asks Washington to fund real research on AI in classrooms. When Stanfordās SCALE Initiative reviewed more than 800 papers on AI in K-12 education, only 20 produced strong causal evidence, and none were high-quality studies of US K-12 students.
š Why it matters: Schools are making big AI calls with very little proof behind them. Itās fair to ask your school three things: what are you using, why, and how will you know itās working?
Sources: edweek.org Ā· fastcompany.com Ā· scale.stanford.edu
Update: two senators want answers from Google
On Oct 21, Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal wrote to Google CEO Sundar Pichai about Googleās AI push in classrooms, asking what research it has on harms to kids, why its AI is on by default on school devices (and, the senators say, sometimes canāt be turned off), and how much it spends promoting AI in schools. āGoogle is forcing their A.I. products into classrooms across America, and children are paying the price,ā the senators say in the letter, which asks for answers by Nov 2. Google hadnāt publicly responded to the letter as of Friday morning, though it has previously said teachers use its tools because they solve āreal classroom challenges.ā Your move: ask your school whether Gemini and other AI features are turned on for your kidās Chromebook or Google Classroom account, and whether they can be turned off.
Sources: hawley.senate.gov Ā· nypost.com Ā· qz.com
D) Amazonās new Kids Tablets come with an AI story maker
Amazonās new Kids Tablets (the Amazon Kids Tablet 8 from $229.99 and the Amazon Kids Tablet 11 from $329.99) began shipping Oct 14 after an Oct 8 announcement. They come in 3+ and 6+ versions with a year of Kids+ included, after which it starts at $7.99/month for Prime members. The headline feature is Storybuilder, where kids use their voice to dream up characters and plot twists and watch them turn into picture books and comics. Storybuilder is part of Kids+, so itās included for the first year. Parents approve every Google Play download and can see creations in the Parent Dashboard.
š Why it matters: This is a likely holiday gift that brings generative AI to a tablet line that starts at age 3. Itās a creative tablet feature, not the chatty companion toys we flagged in #27, but set up the Parent Dashboard before it gets wrapped, and try Storybuilder together first.
Source: aboutamazon.com
E) Quick hit: āthe age of self-declared age should be overā
On a safety panel in India, a Roblox executive said platforms should stop relying on kids to type in their own birthday. OpenAIās speaker said ChatGPT now estimates age from how someone uses it and leans toward the under-18 experience when it isnāt sure, so some adults land in teen mode. Adults can get full access back with a selfie check.
š Why it matters: If youāve been bumped into teen mode, thatās why. And a kid who fibs about their age may not get as far as they used to.
Source: theprint.in
š ļø CLICKABLE TOOL PICKS
Meta AI parental supervision: Topic insights
What it does: If your teen (13 to 17) uses Meta AI, supervision shows you the topics they asked about in the last 7 days, up to 10 at a time. You donāt see the actual messages or the answers.
Why it matters: Itās a conversation starter, not a spy tool. Metaās own tip is to look at the topics together. Try opening with: āI honestly donāt know that much about how you actually use AI. Would you be up for showing me sometime?ā
Good to know: Your teen has to accept supervision, and they can see the same topic list. Insights started with AI chats in Instagram and Messenger and reached the Meta AI app on Oct 5. Some features may not be available in your area yet.
Try it: meta.com
Google Universal Cart
What it does: One cart across stores in Google Search and the Gemini app, with alerts for price drops and restocks. Rolling out in the US since Oct 15.
Why it matters: Holiday shopping without 20 open tabs. The tradeoff: itās built on Google Wallet and looks at your saved cardsā perks, so decide what youāre comfortable connecting.
Try it: blog.google
Gmail Live (talk to your inbox)
What it does: Ask Gmail questions out loud, like āWhenās the field trip form due?ā, and hear the answer with the source email shown. Itās on Android and iOS for Google AI subscribers, and since Oct 15 itās rolling out to paid work (Workspace) accounts too.
Why it matters: Answers while your hands are full at pickup.
Good to know: US and English only for now. It requires a Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra plan.
Read more: workspaceupdates.googleblog.com
AI Menu4You: one meal plan for the whole family
What it does: Builds one meal plan and grocery list around each personās food preferences and needs (think dairy-free kid, gluten-free kid, picky grown-up), with Instacart ordering.
Why it matters: It takes on the nightly āwhat can everyone actually eat?ā puzzle. The site says getting started is free.
Good to know: The app is iPhone and iPad for now (Android is ācoming soonā), and you can also sign up on the website. Itās a meal planner, not medical advice, so check food questions with your doctor or pharmacist.
Try it: aimenu4u.com
Harvardās āAlign on the Lineā (for homework fights)
What it does: A short activity from Harvardās Center for Digital Thriving for deciding which AI uses are fine and which cross the line: brainstorm, map, compare, align.
Why it matters: A recent Harvard survey of more than 1,000 public school teachers and principals found just 18% of teachers said their school had specific generative AI rules, so families often end up drawing the line themselves.
Try it: digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu
š§° Tool Pick: Sogni AI (affiliate)
Costume ideas, a class-project slideshow, or a goofy holiday card from the whole crew? Sogni lets you make images and short videos with a big lineup of creative AI models from one account.
Try it: Try Sogni AI (code
cyberaiguy007)Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you subscribe.
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š” BRIGHT SIDE OF AI
Governments are starting to hand families real tools, not just warnings. Brazil released its first federal guide to kidsā and teensā AI use, built with UNESCO, and it sorts AI into four roles in a childās life: toy, companion, curator and creator (our translation from Portuguese). (Brazilās own numbers: 65% of Brazilian kids and teens who go online have already used generative AI, according to the TIC Kids Online Brasil 2025 survey.) Dubai launched GenDubAI, an Arabic and English platform that helps parents of 8 to 15 year olds learn AI side by side with their kids.
The four roles work in any house. Tonight, sort the AI your kids use: Is it a toy? A companion? Something choosing what they see? Or something they make with? Creator is the one to cheer on. Companion is the one to watch.
Sources: gov.br Ā· gulfnews.com
āØ AI DAD TIP OF THE WEEK
The 5-minute chatbot account check:
Ask your kids, without judgment: āWhich character, companion or AI friend apps have you ever made an account on?ā Include the old ones they stopped using.
For each one, open settings together and look for options to download or delete chat history and to close the account.
Canāt find a delete option? Treat that as a warning sign, and talk about whether the app stays.
Finish with one easy question: āIf an AI ever said something that made you uncomfortable, would you tell me?ā (a starter Meta built with the Cyberbullying Research Center). Then listen.
Old accounts donāt disappear just because your kid stopped opening the app.
Thatās a wrap for Issue #28.
Hit reply and tell me: Which of the four roles (toy, companion, curator, creator) does AI play most in your house?
I read every reply.
Until next week: work smarter, rest harder, spend time with the people who matter most.
Founder, aiskool.tech