I don’t think anyone in the UK has talked about anything else this week. We’ve broken the June temperature record two days running, with Somerset hitting 36.7°C yesterday – the hottest June day on record!
If you’ve had the kids inside with a fan pointed at them and a screen in their hands more than usual, please know you’re not alone. We’ve been keeping the kids entertained using our screen-free AI activity below.
This Monday on the podcast
Will the social media ban protect kids from AI?
It’s the question hanging over everything in the news right now, and it’s a good one to actually dig into. Holly and I are joined by Dr Catherine Knibbs, a child trauma psychotherapist who’s spent years treating young people affected by what happens to them online, so she sees first-hand what these new rules will and won’t catch.
It’s on YouTube, Spotify and Apple from Monday morning.
This weekend’s AI activity
This weekend, AI writes a short whodunnit mystery set in your own house, with your family as the suspects, and you hide the clues for everyone to find.
For when you’re trapped inside, sheltering from the heat, with all the curtains closed, and need a fresh idea for keeping the kids entertained! Do let us know how you get on.
There’s a step-by-step guide over on our blog – with a handy pdf download.
One AI thing worth knowing this week
Last week I mentioned the social media ban came with a new rule for AI chatbots. This week, a parliamentary briefing spelled out what that rule actually covers, and it’s narrower than the headlines suggest.
It only applies to chatbots built specifically for romantic or sexual roleplay. General chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude aren’t covered by it at all. How that gets defined is still unclear and it’s something we’ll dig into with a guest on the 6th July episode. So if you have questions, hit reply and send them over.
Worth knowing too: those general chatbots already have their own age rules, and they’re not new. ChatGPT and Gemini need parental permission for under-18s. Claude is 18 and over, full stop, no under-18 access at all. None of this is properly checked, though, a child can just enter a birthday that says they’re old enough.
So it all comes back to one thing: it’s worth knowing which apps your child is actually using, because neither the new rule nor the old ones are doing that checking for you.
The government’s fuller response on chatbots is due in July, so I’ll keep you up to date on how that goes.
Over to you
What’s the one question you keep wondering about AI companions? Hit reply and send it to me. We’re recording the 6th July episode on exactly this topic this Monday, so you’ve got the weekend to get me your questions.
As always, we share all the best stuff on Instagram and Facebook. If you could take the time to come and follow us we’d be eternally grateful!
See you Monday,
Fiona