OPINION — In recent research, reflected through multiple books, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has laid out a sobering reality. As apps and social platforms become more important in our kids’ lives, their consistent access to screentime is not just changing how they communicate, but also how they grow up.
Our often uncritical adoption of tech has coincided with rising rates of anxiety and depression, social isolation and spiritual malaise — highlighting the urgency for our state and federal lawmakers to create responsible guardrails to insulate our kids from harm.
Haidt’s message is not alarmist, but a call for reflection, and it’s one I take to heart. As a pastor serving the Midtown Presbyterian Church, an educator at Grand Canyon University and a new father, I have paid close attention to the world in which we are raising our kids.
In doing so, I've come to understand that protections are necessary, fear is not. For the youth I work with, tech can be a profoundly useful tool to explore faith and identity, offering forums and resources to connect, learn and grow.
It is because of this increasing value of tech, particularly artificial intelligence, that setting reasonable regulatory standards is all the more critical. As sectors of every variety, from faith leaders to educators to manufacturers, deploy AI and AI-powered chatbots to support their work, we want to ensure it’s done in a way that does not introduce new harms.
That’s why I’m glad Arizona state lawmakers are advancing a proposal this session I believe would strike that balance. Peoria Rep. Tony Rivero’s House Bill 2311 represents an approach I believe would effectively create practical protections for minors without imposing new burdens on those using chatbots to support their small businesses or nonprofits.
The bill would require developers to clearly inform minors that they are interacting with a conversational artificial intelligence service through both persistent visual and interval-based disclosures. At the same time, it would prevent chatbots from interacting with minors in a way that makes them feel they are talking to a human and prohibit statements that simulate emotional dependence or romantic intent — a critical step given the number of kids we’ve seen in the news influenced by character chatbots.
For parents, HB 2311 also offers more clarity and control. Not only does it ensure that kids are shielded from inappropriate content, like sexual content, but it also mandates providers to offer tools for parents and guardians to manage their kids’ privacy and account settings. It also ensures that chatbots have protocols in place to be able to appropriately respond to any user inputs related to self-harm or suicidal ideation.
Taken together, these safeguards recognize that kids deserve transparency, protection and parental oversight when engaging with powerful new technologies. HB 2311 doesn’t attempt to scare families away from innovative technologies or disrupt the ways that these technologies might support local businesses, but it recognizes that as these technologies grow more important in our kids' lives, we should take the opportunity to prevent harm as early as possible in the process.
As a new father and minister, I want my child to grow up in a world where technology is a tool for growth, health and learning, providing support to help her love God and her neighbors well. HB 2311 is a step toward building that kind of world, and, for the sake of my child and those I work with in ministry, I hope our state lawmakers see it through.
Clint Leavitt is a Phoenix-based pastor, professor, writer and film critic. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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