Parents Are the First Line of Defense Against Social Media and AI Dangers Targeting Kids

France just became the first European nation to ban social media for minors under 15 after Parliament voted 279-81 in favor of the legislation. The law, which takes effect in September, prevents children from creating new accounts on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat and will block existing accounts starting in January 2027. High schoolers will also be banned from having phones in school starting next year.

The move puts a spotlight on the growing dangers children face online. But enforcement remains a massive challenge. As legal expert Maya Thomas noted, Australia’s similar ban has been “easily circumvented, with some children even bypassing age gates by drawing on fake moustaches.” Teens routinely use VPNs, fake birth dates, or accounts created by older friends and family members to get around restrictions.

Still, there’s little dispute that constant access to social media has devastated the mental health of young people. Researcher Jean Twenge from San Diego State University sounded the alarm in 2017 after discovering that rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness among minors exploded around 2012—the same year smartphones became widely used. “That’s the same time loneliness increases. That’s very suspicious,” she said. Since then, anxiety and depression among children and adolescents have only worsened.

Donna Rice Hughes, president and CEO of Enough Is Enough, warns that mental health problems are just the beginning. “Anytime a child has an internet-connected device, they’re connected to all the good and all the bad, and the bad and evil people are out there looking for vulnerable kids,” she said on “Washington Watch” Monday. “They are scouting and fishing online for vulnerable kids.”

Hughes emphasized that social media platforms were never designed for children. “Social media was never designed for kids. It was designed for 18-year-olds and up. Facebook started for college kids to connect. The design of these platforms is not safe. They were not designed with safety in mind. And now you’ve got AI added to this.”

AI poses an unregulated and escalating threat. Chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude can be helpful, but they’re also “digital enablers” and “digital spies” that collect data on children to program algorithms that mirror what kids say, making the bots “more sympathetic and more sycophant.” A recent study found that one in three kids now prefer the companionship of their AI chatbot over real people. Even more disturbing, chatbots have written suicide notes for depressed children.

Hughes pointed out that Big Tech is spending massive amounts to prevent regulation. Eleven major AI and social media companies spent over $41 million in the first six months of 2026 lobbying the federal government not to pass legislation holding them accountable. They’re even lobbying the White House to avoid guardrails around AI.

While Florida has banned social media for kids under 16, there’s no federal law yet, and Hughes doubts there will be given Big Tech’s lobbying power.

“We’re in a war,” Hughes said. “We need government regulation and guardrails around all this technology. But parents need to be the first line of defense.”

Enough Is Enough has created resources to help parents navigate gaming platforms, AI chat companions, and internet service providers. Parents can’t wait for the government to act. Big Tech is spending millions to block federal protections. AI is unregulated and dangerous. You are the first and last line of defense for your children. Act now.

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