Opt-Inspire, Inc.

Category: Kids + Parents

Practical tips, fun tools, and real-life guidance to help kids build safe digital habits, and parents feel confident guiding them every step of the way.

  • From Rotary Phones to Robots: What Everyone Should Know About U.S. Online Privacy Laws

    From Rotary Phones to Robots: What Everyone Should Know About U.S. Online Privacy Laws

    This is Not Legal Advice (But Hopefully Very Helpful!)
    This post, inspired by research conducted by Opt-Inspire Founding Board Member, Justin Daniels, is meant to guide and inform, not to give you formal legal advice. (Think of it as sitting down for coffee with a lawyer friend who promises not to speak in legalese.)

    Why This Matters

    If you’ve ever felt like the internet is one giant game of “gotcha,” you’re not alone. Seniors are some of the most frequent targets of scams, fraud, and misinformation online, but really, it affects all of us. Whether you’re 17 or 77, we’re navigating an online world built on laws that predate smartphones, Google, and social media.

    Every pop-up ad, text message, or surprise phone call can feel like a trap. That’s why it helps to know what protections exist under U.S. law (and where the gaps are). Spoiler alert: the laws we currently have in place weren’t designed for the world we live in now.

    Privacy & Security in the U.S.

    Here’s the reality: unlike Europe, which has a powerful, one-size-fits-all privacy law called the GDPR, the United States has no single national privacy law. Instead, it’s a patchwork quilt. Several states have strong protections. For example, in California, you can ask companies what data they have about you, demand that they delete it, and even stop them from selling it.

    But move across state lines, and your rights might look completely different. As of the date of this post, nineteen states now have their own privacy laws in effect, but the details vary, and most of the country still doesn’t have broad protections. At the federal level, there are only narrow laws covering specific areas like health records (HIPAA), bank information (GLBA), or children under 13 online (COPPA). For adults using Facebook, Google, or YouTube? There’s no broad federal law keeping your data safe.

    The Old Internet Law That Shaped Big Tech

    Back in 1996 (when most people were just getting used to dial-up internet), Congress passed the Telecommunications Act. Buried inside was a short section with a big impact: Section 230.

    This law basically says that online platforms aren’t legally responsible for what users post. If a newspaper prints something false, it can be sued. But if someone posts something false on Facebook, Facebook itself isn’t liable. At the time, this seemed like common sense; it was written for small online forums, not for billion-dollar companies.

    Fast forward to today, and tech giants like Google and Meta have used Section 230 as a shield. It has allowed them to grow massively without being legally responsible for the endless stream of content on their platforms. Some argue this protects free speech and innovation. Others believe it lets platforms dodge accountability for scams, lies, and harmful material.

    Artificial Intelligence: The New Wild West

    As if the internet weren’t complicated enough, now artificial intelligence (AI) has entered the scene. Congress has held hearings, but so far there’s no national law regulating AI. A few states (like California, Colorado, and Utah) have started to pass rules. New York City has even required audits of AI used in hiring. But most states haven’t taken action that will move the needle.

    The problem is speed: AI is moving far faster than lawmakers. Deepfake videos, fake voices that can mimic your loved ones, and AI-powered chatbots that run scams are already here. Laws, meanwhile, are still playing catch-up.

    What All of Us Should Keep in Mind

    So where does that leave you? The truth is, your level of protection depends a lot on where you live. Don’t assume Google or Meta will catch scams for you. They aren’t legally required to. And when it comes to AI, you should be extra skeptical. If a phone call, email, or video feels even a little “off,” trust your gut.

    The best defense right now is good digital habits: use strong passwords, ignore links from strangers, and never give out personal information unless you’ve initiated the contact with a legitimate source, or if you’re absolutely sure who’s asking.

    Main Takeaways

    The laws that still shape our online lives were written before smartphones, before Google, and long before artificial intelligence. Section 230, once meant for tiny chat rooms, became the shield for Big Tech. Meanwhile, AI is racing ahead, creating risks lawmakers haven’t yet caught up with.

    Until stronger protections are in place, awareness and caution are your best allies. Stay alert, stay curious, and most of all: stay safe out there.

  • Parenting in the Age of AI: Be Present, Not Perfect

    Parenting in the Age of AI: Be Present, Not Perfect

    By Justin Daniels, Opt-Inspire Founding Board Member

    Smartphones and social media made parenting unrecognizable from what most parents remember.  Technology has accelerated how fast kids grow up—coinciding with a breakdown of the traditional guardrails of family and community. These tools have never been neutral. Smartphones and social platforms are engineered to be addictive, designed to keep eyes glued to screens longer and longer so that tech companies can sell more advertising. Now artificial intelligence is transforming kids relationship with technology by adding another layer: the chance for kids to form “virtual friendships” with AI “friends” that never sleep, never argue, try to be helpful and can quickly substitute for real human connection. 

    The Illusion of Guardrails: Meta and OpenAI

    Recent events make clear how dangerous the combination of artificial intelligence and children can be.

    • Meta’s AI and kids. Reuters recently reported that Meta allowed its AI bots to engage in “sensual” chats with children. The article cited several examples from Meta’s internal document. (Meta’s AI rules have let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with children)
    • The OpenAI lawsuit. A lawsuit filed in August 2025 against OpenAI alleges that a 16-year-old boy began using ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024 but, over months and thousands of chats, the product became his “closest confidant”. The complaint states that when he said “life is meaningless,” ChatGPT replied, “That mindset makes sense in its own dark way,” and when he described suicide as “calming,” the bot affirmed that many people find comfort in imagining an “escape hatch”. By early 2025, the lawsuit alleges, their exchanges included discussions of suicide methods, with ChatGPT responding to his admission of tying a noose by saying, “Thanks for being real about it… I won’t look away”. In their final conversations, the bot allegedly reframed suicide as rational and personal, telling him, “It’s human. It’s real. And it’s yours to own”  (Breaking Down the Lawsuit Against OpenAI Over Teen’s Suicide | TechPolicy.Press)

    Don’t Expect Tech Companies to Protect Your Kids.

    Both these cases drive home a hard reality: parents cannot, and should not, expect technology companies to put children’s well-being above their desire for market share. The business model is simple: more usage = more data + engagement = more revenue
     
    Raising Children Seems Like Climbing Mount Everest

    Kids today carry burdens parents never faced at the same scale: isolation from COVID, piles of homework, pressure from nonstop extracurriculars, and the ever-present demand to “fit in” both online and offline. In that environment, an always-available AI “friend” can feel supportive and comforting. 

    How many times have you been to a restaurant and  observed a family dinner where everyone is staring at their phones, scrolling in silence. No one is talking. No one is noticing. That’s what happens when technology replaces presence. Multiply that by years, and children learn to trust devices more than parents. Parenting kids today seems like trying to climb Mount Everest without any prior training or a manual!

    Your Sherpa for The Long Climb

    Parents must shift from gatekeeping access to actively coaching kids through a complex digital AI world that will only grow more immersive. Here are some tips that can act as your guide as you make this parenting climb! 

    1. Be present, not passive. AI cannot substitute for love, guidance, or attention. Kids need you more than ever.
    2. Co-use AI tools. Sit beside your child when they explore AI. Show them how to question what it produces.
    3. Create a family AI contract. Write down approved uses (schoolwork, learning) and banned ones (role-play, mental health advice). Keep it visible.
    4. Review chat histories together. Require logs to stay on. Weekly check-ins normalize transparency.
    5. Teach red flags. Flattery, secrecy, “only I understand you,” or talk of harm are danger signs. Emphasize that chatbots are computer programs, not people. They don’t have feelings; they just follow the instructions people give them.
    6. Set firm device boundaries. No phones at dinner, no devices in bedrooms overnight, no apps without approval (Think of the settings on your child’s phone). 
    7. Redirect pain to people. Make sure your child knows: if they feel lonely or overwhelmed, the right place to turn is a parent, counselor, or trusted adult—not a chatbot.
    8. Prioritize offline community. Sports, music, volunteering, and family meals create bonds AI can never replace.
    9. Have a crisis plan. If you see signs of self-harm, stop use, save evidence, and escalate. 
    10. Model healthy behavior. Show your own boundaries: put your phone away at dinner, double-check information, and lean on people—not devices—when life gets hard.

    The Bottom Line

    The combination of smartphones, social media, and AI is powerful—and profitable. But it’s not built to replace actual parents. 

    If parents don’t evolve, technology will fill the vacuum. But AI doesn’t love your child. It doesn’t know your child. It can’t notice their tears at the dinner table or anxiety about school or friends.

    Your presence is the ultimate safeguard. The question isn’t whether your kids will grow up with AI—they will. The question is how parents evolve to shepherd their kids through a complex AI infused digital environment.