Three in 10 US teens use AI chatbots every day, but safety concerns are growing | TechCrunch

December 10, 2025December 9, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Pew Research Center released a study on Tuesday that shows how young people are using both social media and AI chatbots.

Teen internet safety has remained a global hot topic, with Australia planning to enforce a social media ban for under-16s starting on Wednesday. The impact of social media on teen mental health has been extensively debated — some studies show how online communities can improve mental health, while other research shows the adverse effects of doomscrolling or spending too much time online. The U.S. surgeon general even called for social media platforms to put warning labels on their products last year.

Pew found that 97% of teens use the internet daily, with about 40% of respondents saying they are “almost constantly online.” While this marks a decrease from last year’s survey (46%), it’s significantly higher than the results from a decade ago, when 24% of teens said they were online almost constantly.

Uber for Teens has reignited an old debate over fingerprinting drivers | TechCrunch

July 10, 2024July 9, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Seven years ago, Uber and Lyft blocked an effort to require ride-hailing app drivers to get fingerprinted in California. But by launching Uber for Teens earlier this year, the company inadvertently resurfaced the issue.

Now a broader debate is underway as startups, Uber, and California regulators hash out when a transportation service should be required to fingerprint its drivers.

Five Things You Don’t Know About Millennials and Teens | Ypulse

August 7, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Every month, we survey 1000 13-32-year-olds to learn about young consumers’ attitudes and behaviors, and today we’re using recent data to highlight five things that you probably don’t know about Millennials and teens, from their mobile behavior to their spending habits. Not everything you’ve read about them is true…

1. THEY’RE MORE TRADITIONAL THAN YOU THINK.

Hookup culture and all those “newfangled” dating apps get a lot of attention, but in reality Millennials and teens are more traditional than you might think. 50% of 13-32-year-olds have been on a formal date, 25% are in a committed relationship, and 17% are married. The majority of those in a relationship met their significant other in an old-fashioned way: 32% met at school, 22% through mutual friends/family, 9% met at work. But how real is that infamous hookup culture? Only 23% of those over 18-years-old have had a one night stand. And while it’s true that sexting is a thing—34% have sexted, and 15% have “naughty Snapchatted”—the majority want stability in their romance, with 75% saying they want to be in a long-term committed relationship.