I feel like I should attach the Michael Scott clip here about how I couldn’t possibly return to work immediately after vacation, but instead I offer this long weekend read of how a Renaissance diplomat made me think about child safety: quire.substack.com/p/long-weeke...

Long weekend musings: What Guicciardini would make of children and AI

A Renaissance diplomat’s private notebook, and what it teaches us about how companies, governments and advocates handle children’s use of AI

quire.substack.com

Just in time for this nor’easter: my early copy of @katieharbath.bsky.social’s new book is here! Katie’s view from the front lines of the biggest digital campaigns makes her my most important resource when thinking about how technology impacts politics and vice versa. Getting the tea (chai) ready ☕️

One positive about UNGA in town; you will always get your 10K steps without really thinking about it, purely from all the detours. This was at 10pm and the blockade was across multiple avenues and blocks so everyone got to know one another well!

Twenty countries now restrict children's access to social media. This fortnight: the EU KIDS Act, Meta's 332 CSAM, hundreds of Russian teenagers charged over online-recruited sabotage, and Kenya is building its evidence base.

EU Publishes KIDS Act With Tiered Age Limits, Meta Ran Hundreds of AI-CSAM Ads, & Russia Charges Hundreds of Teenagers Over Online-Recruited Sabotage

Digital Childhood Briefing, by Vys - September 21, 2026

quire.substack.com

I had the most emotional, raw reactions to @nhannahjones.bsky.social's reflections on education in New York City. I deeply respect the decision to live out her public values in private, yet have the courage to pivot when she realized her daughter was hurting from it.

In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?

A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.

nytimes.com

Why must bike helmets be so ugly? Becoming familiar with NYC’s bike lanes but consistently constrained by the bulky black foreboding helmet I’ll have to carry around for the rest of the day in my travels. / rant

Made a few small changes to the AI Crisis Flowchart

AI-generated CSAM has been top of mind for companies since the Anderegg ruling a few weeks ago, so here's a short writeup on what's actually changed (and what hasn't) for child safety product roadmaps. quire.substack.com/p/ai-generat...

AI-Generated CSAM after Anderegg: What Changes (And Doesn’t) on Product Roadmaps

A narrow ruling, a lot of loud misreadings, and a short list of things worth re-checking on your child safety product roadmaps

quire.substack.com

I love a good side eye at powerful people’s essays as much as anyone, but perhaps the answer is - *all* of the theories are true? Yes, Dario’s essay builds more of a moat against open source and lets the frontier labs frame diminishing advancements to investors as a responsible choice, and…

As we near the US midterms, you will see many news headlines describing "sweeping", "first in the nation", "groundbreaking" etc. from politicians. Happy to bust some of these myths so that you can go about your actual child safety work.

The New York Times@nytimes.com · last mo.

Breaking News: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed a bill that prohibited social media platforms from providing addictive features to users under 16, the first law of its kind in the U.S. nyti.ms/4inEuEe

Ah, the cycle continues. There is a real danger in the all-or-nothing way we talk about AI adoption, without considering what thoughtful technical procurement standards could do to make sure AI works for our children and they don't fall behind in the global race for talent.

Los Angeles Times@latimes.com · last mo.

LAUSD adopts moratorium on student AI use, another big move to limit classroom computer use

Yet another AI policy that nobody with product knowledge seems to have drafted. Who exactly is introducing purely companion chatbots into schools? The problem is educational AI tools that students inevitably turn to for emotional support, which of course this bill doesn't know how to address.

The Verge@theverge.com · last mo.

The policy also bans companion chatbots across all grades. www.theverge.com/policy/98822...

This was such a special podcast to be a part of with @yoyoel.com and @benwhitelaw.bsky.social. I hope that our stories can be valuable for other T&S professionals thinking about how to share their hard-won knowledge and expertise more widely.

Safer, Built by Thorn@safer.io · last mo.

In the latest episode of Safe Space, we bring together @yoyoel.com, @vaishnavi.bsky.social, and @benwhitelaw.bsky.social for a roundtable on how trust and safety tells its story. Listen to the full episode here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/safe-s...

In the ruling, the judge notes that Meta created a “public nuisance” by being a significant contributor to the state’s teen mental health crisis.

New Mexico Court Orders Meta To Pay Nearly $1 Billion Over Child Safety Issues

In the ruling, the judge notes that Meta created a “public nuisance” by being a significant contributor to the state’s teen mental health crisis.

forbes.com

That's why I'm excited today to see @vaishnavi.bsky.social & team use Zentropi to build and release the first set of open source age-appropriate content policies to detect teen self-harm & suicidal ideation. Get them here: zentropi.ai/u/vys [3/n]

Making impossible safety challenges tractable is a lot of why we built Zentropi. Today @vaishnavi.bsky.social shipped a great example of what that means in practice - a set of open-source self-harm and suicide policies for teens: quire.substack.com/p/what-it-takes-for-llms-to-make-age 🧵 1/6

[What it Takes] For LLMs to Make Age-Appropriate Content Policies Enforceable

An editorial developed in partnership with Zentropi

quire.substack.com

II members recently submitted input to NIST’s CAISI request for information on securing AI agent systems. Members highlight: ▶️ New risks from autonomous agents ▶️ Gaps in current cybersecurity ▶️ The need for stronger evaluation & safeguards Read the submission in full here: 🔗 bit.ly/4lUnMfy

Information About Securing AI Agent Systems — Integrity Institute

By Theodora Skeadas, Leah Ferentinos, Rohit Poduval, and Maggie Engler Integrity Institute members respond to the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), National Institute of Standards and ...

bit.ly

If there's a better feeling than getting to inbox zero after a month on the road, I would very much like to know what it is. This is better than any spa.

Manhattan road closures for a half marathon are so maddening - so much traffic being diverted because a bunch of people needed a medal to get up and run this morning.

Losers: The Democrats, whom Americans blame for banning their favorite app; the Court, which spent its capital on a case it didn’t need to decide; the First Amendment, which the Court weakened; Congress, which gave us this dumb law; the American people, whose actual interests have been ignored. /1

Watching the Loomer / Musk showdown on the other site is bringing back fond memories of writing long, excruciatingly detailed policy assessments of whether online behaviours merit suspension. I’m glad that X continues to uphold its position on doxxing, whatever else might be going on there.

Deeply hoping I get to DC on time for FOSI, but a bridge strike in Baltimore may have other plans for me. PSA to rideshare drivers: get your 💰 by heading to an Amtrak station along the Northeast Corridor!

Hello, new followers! 👋🏾 I’m Vaishnavi—a safety strategist on a mission to create wiser, safer, and smarter tech for kids and teens. If you’re into trust & safety, ethical AI, or youth-focused safety by design, we’ve got lots to chat about. 💬

#trustandsafety friends this is such a great listen re: #safetybydesign. I loved @vaishnavi.bsky.social’s insights on SBD and safer online experiences for children and teens. Safe design benefits all, not just kids. m.youtube.com/watch?v=avkr...

E61 | Safety by Design with Vaishnavi J | Pondering AI

YouTube video by SAS Software

m.youtube.com

A new issue of Quire in which we cover Australia's social media ban, the global push for age-based restrictions, and what fractured public trust in tech platforms means for them going forward quire.substack.com/p/social-med...

Social media bans, updates, and debates

The fractured trust between tech and the public - and how we can rebuild

quire.substack.com

Great post for parents navigating their kids' use of social media by the always thoughtful @aagh.bsky.social

Alice Hunsberger@aagh.bsky.social · 2y ago

My son is in first grade at a school that just banned phones. A parent of one of his classmates sent out an email asking if anyone wants to talk about our kids and digital safety. Welllll.... ask a T&S expert about social media policy and you'll get a LOT of words! 🧵1 of who knows how many

Feeling like a local - just clomped through a film set swearing mildly because they’ve blocked my street off and are obstructing my taxi (yes, taxi). Also, the muscle memory that just posts to X first is hard to correct. Tips welcome!

The US surgeon general called for social media companies to come with warning labels for consumers, when what we need are better rules for companies: quire.substack.com/p/the-us-sur...

The US surgeon general calls for warning labels on social media

The pitfalls of scaring consumers instead of developing better rules of the road

quire.substack.com

VYS’s next issue of Quire is out! While nuance around youth wellbeing and technology seems increasingly unlikely, here are some thoughtful ways to think about building responsibly for AI’s interaction with children: quire.substack.com/p/building-a...

Building a framework for designing age-appropriate AI

The train for nuance seems to have left the station for social media. Can we preempt this panic when it comes to generative AI?

quire.substack.com

Just last month, it fell to Gov DeSantis to veto a bill that would ban those under 16 from social media, on the basis that was too extreme. The more moderate bill he just approved? Bans under 14s from social media, requires 14 / 15 year olds to get parental consent. www.nbcnews.com/tech/florida...