Products optimize for engagement over well-being. Dark patterns are routine. Children are exposed to manipulative design. Mental health effects are externalized.
Human well-being is the design target. Engagement metrics are subordinate to outcomes that serve users and communities. Protections for minors are default, not opt-in.
A special panel convened to advise European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on strategies for ensuring child online safety.
CBS Mornings, NBC, AP, Oprah Podcast and others covered a new documentary featuring Tristan Harris and industry leaders on AI risks including companionship and mental-health impact, April 2026 release cycle.
CHT announced a new program focused on what norms, legal protections, and rights are needed to preserve human well-being in the age of AI, amplifying well-being-over-engagement discourse.
The UK House of Commons proposed an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would empower the Secretary of State to restrict under-18s' access to social media and addictive features.
Despite 75+ co-sponsors, KOSA has not received a markup from Sen. Cruz's committee as of Feb 2026. House advanced narrower KIDS Act (28-24, party line) in March 2026, weaker than Senate version.
Utah SB 194 — requiring default privacy, disabled autoplay/infinite scroll/push notifications for minors — remains stayed under NetChoice First Amendment injunction as of April 2026. Similar Virginia injunction appealed March 2026.
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok ship no session-length caps, no take-a-break reminders for adults, no anti-infinite-scroll UX defaults. SB 243's 3-hour minor reminder rule is the floor, not the market standard.
Common Sense Media report "Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs" (orig. Jul 2025) reaffirmed via Penn State re-coverage Feb 2026 and ongoing APA Monitor, Stanford SSIR, Brookings citations: peril of AI companions outweighs potential, no under-18 use.
Record fine announced 23 Feb 2026 against 8579 LLC for failing to deploy highly-effective age assurance under OSA s.12. Ofcom has opened 90+ investigations and issued 6 fines since July 2025 enforcement start.
Preliminary findings published 6 Feb 2026: infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and recommender system inadequately mitigated for mental-health risks. Commission says TikTok must change the basic design of its service.
Feb 2026: TikTok disputed Commission findings as "categorically false," defended screen-time tools that EU called "easy to dismiss." No commitment to disable infinite scroll or redesign recommender system.
Anthropic announced that its AI assistant Claude will remain ad-free, emphasizing a product philosophy centered on providing users a 'space to think' rather than maximizing engagement.
The European Commission launched a new Action Plan Against Cyberbullying aimed at protecting the mental health of children and teenagers online.
Commission 2026 work programme confirms a Digital Fairness Act legislative initiative for Q4 2026, targeting dark patterns, addictive design, unfair personalisation and influencer marketing. Consultation closed Oct 2025.
Settlement in principle on Jan 7 2026 covering lawsuits from families in Florida, Colorado, Texas and NY alleging Character.AI chatbots drove teens to suicide or self-harm. Landmark liability moment for AI-related mental-health harm.