Slip-sliding away? California, which has previously led the way in privacy legislation, has opted to forgo rules it had drafted to regulate AI and similar systems. This results from the California Privacy Protection Agency’s decision to accede to business pressure to narrow the definition of “automated decision making,” allowing companies to opt out of rules by claiming algorithmic tools are just advisory to human decision making.

New laws in these states and others are cracking down on how app and tech companies can engage with teens. The Texas legislature sent Governor Abbot a law making it the second state after Utah to require app distributors to verify user ages and block those under 18 from downloading apps without parental consent. Virginia’s governor just signed a bill that restricts teen social media to 1-hr/day unless parent’s consent to more; and Arkansas has a new law that 1) requires parental consent for data collection, 2) prohibits targeted advertising to teens and, 3) limits data collection to only what is necessary for servicing.