Alex

AR/VR and kids online safety
Policy Analyst @ITIFdc

[Alex @alexitif]

My first @ITIFdc report is here! I'm so excited and proud of this one. The dichotomy between children driving the market for immersive tech while also participating in systems not designed with them in mind was a fascinating topic to explore. 3 interesting tidbits I learned: 🧵

[Information Technology and Innovation Foundation @ITIFdc]

📅 June 16, 12 PM ET:

Concerns over AI companions and children are driving calls for new regulation. 💻

Join ITIF's panel of experts from @CenDemTech, @futureofprivacy, @CatoInstitute, & @RSI for a conversation on the tradeoffs of proposed chatbot safety legislation.

Register here:
https://t.co/GuWSFEQb34

[Information Technology and Innovation Foundation @ITIFdc]

It was clear at #GoogleIO that we're moving from chatbots to agentic and physical #AI. But @castrotech's big takeaway for policymakers is that different countries will adopt AI at different speeds based on digital regulations, energy policy, labor concerns, and attitudes toward risk.

[Alex @alexitif]

Join me @ITIFdc for a discussion on recently introduced chatbot safety bills up for debate in Congress, including the GUARD Act and CHATBOT Act, and what policymakers, parents, & platforms could do to protect children without bans. https://t.co/IeDFCpkPOA

[Ash Johnson @ashljnsn]

Who's ready to tune in to another nearly-identical hearing where everyone makes the same arguments and we all get our catchy sound bytes just in time for midterms?

[Alex @alexitif]

https://t.co/tCIlVgNt76

[Alex @alexitif]

Great new piece by @ashljnsn for @ITIFdc analyzing state bills' impact on the SECURE Data Act and why it reflects a bipartisan, multistate consensus on key privacy provisions. Plus it's got a really cool graphic highlighting these state policies⬇️

[TechNewsWorld @technewsworld]

Meta is expanding AI-based age enforcement tools across Facebook and Instagram to identify potentially underage users.
https://t.co/p4yX1gXCzX

[Alex @alexitif]

"Augmented reality in the operating room is not a distant concept — it is here, and it is transforming the outcomes we can achieve for our patients." Cool story about AR in surgery. I've written about that here: https://t.co/xWpNoXptyw https://t.co/irJcAGvNGl

[Information Technology and Innovation Foundation @ITIFdc]

Texas AG @KenPaxtonTX is suing @Netflix over alleged user tracking and “dark patterns” like autoplay designed to maximize engagement.

@alexitif breaks down 3 reasons why the case follows familiar tech moral panic patterns. ⤵️

[Alex @alexitif]

Agree with @MarshaBlackburn's opening during @SenJudiciaryGOP hearing that courts are left to fill the vacuum left by Congress's inaction on kids online safety. My colleague @ashljnsn wrote about this in relation to these social media trials: https://t.co/zfxmRmxQFz

[Alex @alexitif]

We've gone so completely full circle that TV is "addictive" again. We've written a lot about the moral tech panic cycle: https://t.co/2WOZQcUNbR

[POLITICO @politico]

Netflix sued by Texas AG for alleged surveillance, addictive features https://t.co/uFd0LLxF9C

[Alex @alexitif]

🥳🎉

[Information Technology and Innovation Foundation @ITIFdc]

📆 Save the date!

The 6th Annual AR/VR Policy Conference, hosted by ITIF & @XRAssociation, will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Learn more + register ⤵️
https://t.co/v4JhCjEZIj

[Alex @alexitif]

https://t.co/KQiJUHrkEc

[Alex @alexitif]

"The largest study ever of school cell phone bans finds that they offer decidedly mixed results, with teachers reporting fewer distractions..., but little evidence the bans quickly bring improved academic achievement or better behavior."

[Alex @alexitif]

My main question about school phone bans is this: are schools also teaching healthy tech habits at home? Or are they restricting phones during the day while leaving students and parents without guidance on building balanced, healthy use outside of school?

[Daniel Castro @castrotech]

Honored to be named to @Washingtonian’s list of the 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy.

Glad to see years of obsessing over tech policy finally count for something!

Grateful to the terrific team at @ITIFdc.

[Alex @alexitif]

For those keeping score, add Colorado to the list of states protecting kidfluencers: https://t.co/fUwgcZYVJl.

[Alex @alexitif]

As the Senate Judiciary considers the GUARD Act today, chatbot bans are troubling because they would hinder young people’s ability to use chatbots for legitimate purposes & require AI companies to implement problematic age verification mechanisms.

[Alex @alexitif]

One of @ITIFdc's recent @yseali fellow's Syabil wrote about his home country of Brunei's innovative VR ecosystem and how US-Brunei partnerships can strengthen this ecosystem for both countries. Check it out here! https://t.co/TaDAb4mJiV