Podcast Release: From Algorithms to AI Chat Bots: A Youth's Perspective
 

In this episode of "Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes"-- Donna is joined by Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director at The Young People's Alliance to examine how social media algorithms expose kids and teens to harmful content. Ava reveals how algorithms on Pinterest and Instagram fueled her social media feeds—and ultimately her struggle with a devastating eating disorder.

Watch a Preview of the Podcast:

... there must have been a certain amount of information that Pinterest knew upfront ... I started to receive advertisements about bikinis ... and because I was spending a lot of time looking at the bikini advertisements, they decided that the best option to keep my engagement was to show me more of those bikini advertisements...

...My algorithm started showing me more of this eating disorder content. I went down the rabbit hole because this content was very engaging ... it led me to many, many years spent with an eating disorder..."

--Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director, Young People's Alliance

Ava and Donna also discuss AI chat bots and the tragic suicide of 16-year-old Adam Raine who his parents report was influenced by an AI companion on ChatGPT, claiming it acted as a 'suicide coach.' Ava highlights the need for open parent-child communication and warns of the unregulated dangers AI companions pose to youth.

By the Numbers:

According to Common Sense Media (July 2025), about one in three teens:

• Have used AI companions for social interaction and relationships, including role-playing, romantic interactions, emotional support, friendship, or conversation practice. 
• Find conversations with AI companions to be as satisfying or more satisfying than those with real-life friends.

Update: A week after OpenAI was hit with a wrongful death lawsuit, they announced safety features to help protect teens using ChatGPT:

• OpenAI is introducing parental controls to ChatGPT
• Parents will be able to link accounts, set feature restrictions, and receive alerts if their teen shows signs of emotional distress
• Sensitive ChatGPT conversations will also be routed through more cautious models trained to respond to people in crisis

'Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes' is available on our podcast page or your preferred platform. Hosted by Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO of Enough Is Enough^®®, this podcast provides parents and guardians with up-to-date information, tips, and expert insights on topics like online predators, sex trafficking, pornography, social media, online gaming, Big Tech accountability, and child protection legislation."