The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Youth: The Role of Parents (Part 3)
Key Takeaways
- •Pope Leo XIV, writing in 'Magnificent Humanity,' said parents alone cannot resist attention-monetizing business models and that young people must be taught to recognize manipulation and defend their dignity in digital environments.
- •Data from Australia's under-16 social media law showed VPN downloads nearly tripling shortly before implementation and roughly 70% of underage users still maintaining their accounts three months later.
- •Philippine experts warned that a booming market for rented or sold IDs makes age restrictions impractical, while requiring government-issued IDs for verification could create serious data governance problems and expand opportunities for cybercriminals.
- •Meta announced on Aug. 6 that it had taken down more than 750,000 accounts suspected of being held by Australians under 16, including 462,000 Instagram and 294,000 Facebook accounts deactivated from December through June.
- •The article outlines twelve values for parents to cultivate—including self-discipline, critical thinking, empathy and resilience—plus practical habits such as delaying social media access until maturity and keeping devices out of bedrooms at night.
(Part 3)
Parents bear the primary responsibility for protecting their children from the potential harm that artificial intelligence (AI) can inflict on the young. That responsibility, however, must be viewed realistically. As Pope Leo XIV wrote in "Magnificent Humanity," "it is difficult for parents by themselves to resist the influence of business models that monetize attention and time." Parents must therefore look for partners among enlightened businesspeople, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), educational institutions and associations of families — allies who can help shape the far-sighted policies needed to oppose the immediate commercial interests of platforms concentrated in a few hands (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta AI, xAI and Mistral AI) whenever those interests conflict with the well-being of minors.
More important than the needed legislation, as discussed in the previous article, the Pope says that "it is also necessary to teach children, adolescents and young people how to recognize manipulation, defend their dignity and respect that of others in digital environments." That point matters because AI is increasingly woven into the platforms children already use, which can make persuasion, recommendation and attention capture harder for families to notice unless adults stay engaged.
The proactive role of parents in guiding and monitoring their children's use of social media — especially teenagers, who may be more AI-savvy than the adults around them — cannot be overemphasized. The point is reinforced by realistic warnings from AI stakeholders that a proposed social media ban for minors may actually pose security and privacy risks. As reported in this paper on July 2, Emmanuel Caguimbal, president of Wayvent Innovations, Inc., said that infrastructure to bypass age restrictions is already a "mainstream reality for the Filipino youth." In practical terms, teenagers can run circles around their unknowing parents unless the young are genuinely helped to develop the virtues of prudence, chastity and others needed to avoid the harmful effects of social media.
Australia's experience offers a lesson. According to Carlo Almendral, chief executive officer of AIFirst, in the days leading up to the implementation of the law limiting social media access for youth under 16, VPN downloads nearly tripled, and three months later around 70% of under-age users still maintained their social media accounts.
The situation could be even worse in the Philippines because of the booming mule market for rented or sold IDs used for verification purposes. Luis A. Jacinto, president of the Information Security Officers Group, described restricting access as "an impractical solution" for preventing real-world violence. While he noted that VPN costs might be a barrier for those in lower-income brackets, the ban will ultimately be unable to achieve its intended goals: with age restrictions in place, savvy young users will likely move toward less regulated spaces, which could lead to more dangers.
A further risk arises from age and identity verification itself. Requiring users to submit government-issued IDs to private social media companies would create a "serious data governance problem," widening the attack surface for cybercriminals — a concern heightened by data leaks involving government agencies.
There are encouraging signs nonetheless. In an otherwise permissive society, three in five Americans favor stronger oversight of social media firms, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found. There is also good news from Australia, the pioneer in restricting social media use among those under 16. On Aug. 6, Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, said it had taken down more than 750,000 accounts it suspected were held by Australians aged under 16 and promised more action in the face of possible regulatory intervention. The company also announced it had deactivated 462,000 suspect Instagram accounts and 294,000 suspect Facebook accounts from just before the Australian social media ban went live in December through June — up from 331,000 Instagram accounts and 173,000 Facebook accounts it said it had removed by January. When there is a will, there is a way.
Parents cannot totally eliminate the risks of social media, but they can greatly reduce them by helping children develop strong character, judgment and self-control before they are given unrestricted access. Research consistently shows that the family environment and the quality of parent-child relationships are among the most protective factors. The following values are especially important:
-
Self-discipline and self-control. Teach children to control technology rather than be controlled by it; encourage delaying gratification, limiting screen time, and balancing online activities with school, sports, reading and — most important of all — family life.
-
Critical thinking. Teach them not to believe everything they see online; show them how to fact-check (even adults need this reminder); help them distinguish fact from opinion, identify misinformation, and recognize manipulation by influencers and algorithms.
-
Respect for human dignity. Encourage children to be truthful online and avoid creating false identities, spreading rumors or plagiarizing others' work.
-
Honesty and integrity. The same habits apply: children should be truthful online, avoid creating false identities, refrain from spreading rumors and never plagiarize others' work.
-
Humility. Teach children that personal worth does not depend on likes, followers or viral posts; humility reduces the pressure to seek constant online validation.
-
Prudence (good judgment). Teach children to think before posting, and to understand that what goes online can remain there permanently and may affect future education and employment.
-
Resilience. Help children cope with criticism, rejection and comparison; their self-esteem should come from their character and relationships, not social media popularity.
-
Empathy and kindness. Encourage them to consider how their words affect others; empathy is one of the best antidotes to cyberbullying.
-
Responsibility. Children should understand that digital freedom comes with accountability; they are responsible for protecting their privacy and respecting that of others.
-
Love of learning and meaningful hobbies. Reading, music, sports, art, volunteering and outdoor activities provide healthier sources of fulfillment than endless scrolling.
-
Strong family relations. Children who enjoy talking with their parents are more likely to seek help when they encounter problems online; shared meals, conversations and family activities are powerful protective factors.
-
A moral and spiritual foundation. Families that cultivate virtues such as compassion, gratitude, forgiveness and service to others often help children develop an identity that is less dependent on social media approval; for religious families, regular prayer and participation in their faith community — such as regular attendance at Mass for Catholic families — can reinforce these values.
In addition to teaching values, especially by example, parents can establish clear habits:
- Delay access to social media until children demonstrate sufficient maturity, especially before 16.
- Keep phones and tablets out of bedrooms at night.
- Have regular screen-free family time.
- Know which platforms children use and discuss their online experiences without being overly punitive.
- Model healthy technology use as parents.
Ultimately, the goal is not merely to protect children from social media but to form young people of strong character. A child who possesses self-control, wisdom, compassion, resilience, a strong sense of identity and a concern for the common good is far less likely to be harmed by social media and more likely to use technology as a tool for learning, creativity and genuine human connection.
(To be continued.)
Read Parts 1 and 2 here: The impact of artificial intelligence on the youth — and The impact of artificial intelligence on the youth: Restricting social media —
Bernardo M. Villegas has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, is professor emeritus at the University of Asia and the Pacific, and a visiting professor at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission. (bernardo.villegas@uap.asia)
