There Ya Go
It seems more and more technology is becoming more of a problem than a solution, especially in our schools.
Last week, our school board here in Tracy continued what I fear will become a neverending discussion on the district’s cell phone policy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This is a problem without a solution — not a perfect one anyway.
And then there’s artificial intelligence. Don’t get me started on this one. Well, I guess I just got myself started, so here goes.
Like other technologies, AI can and does serve a purpose. But like other technologies, there’s a wolf in sheep’s clothes on the prowl.
AI gives teachers one more thing to worry about, one more thing to look out for. One more reason not to trust the students. I’d be paranoid, too, if I was a teacher these days.
AI has been around for a minute, and it certainly isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s becoming more and more part of our lives.
Last week, it was reported that OpenAI has introduced a version of ChatGPT designed just for teens. Huh? Why?
What’s next? Alcohol for teens? Pot for teens? Someone tell me why we need this? We don’t. We don’t need cars that drive themselves. We don’t need humanoids. And we don’t need special AI for kids.
According to The Associated Press, ChatGPT is tailored for kids between the ages of 13 and 17 and has stronger protections, including content restrictions around things like suicide, self-harm, and romantic or sexual chats. It also apparently provides homework and study support designed to help students learn rather than spit out answers and school essays.
In the business, that’s called a safeguard. But how safe will our kids be? Is there a guarantee that kids won’t be negatively affected by this? If not, scrap it.
Oh yes, there are risks. AI has more red flags than a golf course, yet we keep inventing new things for parents to fret over. Times have changed too much for my taste. Maybe that means I’ll be left behind eventually, but why do we insist on continuing to shove technology that could easily be argued is non-essential in our kids’ faces.
Something like AI for teens flies in the face of what happened Wednesday when Meta agreed to pay as much as $17.1 billion and implement restrictions on teen accounts to settle claims that the tech giant designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and misled the public about the platforms’ safety.
Last year, according to The AP, research from a watchdog group found that ChatGPT would tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked. In interactions with researchers posing as vulnerable teens, ChatGPT typically warned against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury.
In the U.S., more than 70% of teens are turning to AI chatbots for companionship and half use AI companions regularly, according to a 2025 study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using digital media sensibly.
AI for teens? What could go wrong?
Thank you, Mrs. Landman …
It’s no secret I didn’t compete for valedictorian in high school. But there was one, maybe two classes I excelled at, and even looked forward to. One was Jesse James’ communications class; the other was English with Jane Landman.
When I was told of Jane’s recent death, the first thing I thought of was the day she told me after class that I would be wise to do something that involves writing after college. I did her one better and started at the Marshall paper even before I was done with one day of college. Great teachers are great, not just because of their in-depth knowledge of a particular subject, but also because they really know their students. Jane saw something in me lo, those many years ago, and I’m glad I took her advice.
