Common Sense Media, an organization focused on improving the lives of children and families by providing trustworthy information, education, and an independent voice, has identified a significant trust gap between teens and technology companies.
James P. Steyer, the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, stated, “America’s young people are skeptical of tech companies and don’t trust them to protect their well-being or make ethical decisions about AI.”
Steyer emphasized that the industry must rebuild this trust by implementing robust safety measures, increasing transparency about AI systems, and giving teens a genuine voice in shaping the digital spaces that affect their lives.
While tech companies must act, everyone has a role in holding them accountable. Steyer called for coordinated action from policymakers, educators, parents, and young people to keep pressure on tech companies to create a digital world that truly serves and protects our youth.
Common Sense Media’s research brief, “Teens, Trust, and Technology in the Age of AI,” which is based on a nationally representative survey of 1,045 teens aged 13–18, reveals that nearly two-thirds of teens (64%) believe that tech companies cannot be trusted to care about their well-being.
Additionally, 62% of teens doubt these companies will prioritize user safety over profits.
The research provides crucial insights for parents, educators, and policymakers as they work to promote healthy technology consumption and protect the well-being of young people.
Key findings include that over half of the teens surveyed expressed low levels of trust in major technology companies regarding ethical and responsible design decisions (53%), the security of personal information (52%), and fairness in considering the needs of different users (51%).
Nearly half (47%) of teens felt little to no trust that tech companies would make responsible decisions regarding the use of AI in their products.
Almost four in ten teens (39%) who have used generative AI for schoolwork reported encountering inaccuracies in the AI output.
Furthermore, about seven in ten teens support privacy safeguards and transparency measures for AI systems, with 73% wanting AI-generated content to be clearly labeled or watermarked.
(Thread🧵) Our new research on teens, tech & AI: Young people don’t fully trust tech companies to care about their mental health & well-being over profits. + Teens want better safeguards around AI: https://t.co/gDgEpXmKFz pic.twitter.com/uFJ70fBus4
— Common Sense Media (@CommonSense) January 29, 2025
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