Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Aug 27

Started using AI for tablets, then hotels, then... recipes I actually enjoy researching myself.

MIT study: ChatGPT users underperformed non-users.

When convenience replaces competence, we lose more than time.

open.substack.com/pub/gaiabern...

Delegating Tasks to AI: When Convenience Quietly Replaces Competence

From cooking recipes to hotel bookings, how small choices reshape our capabilities

open.substack.com

Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Aug 20

I am pleased to share my guest essay published on Jonathan Haidt's substack After Babel. I explore how we can avoid making the same mistakes we made with social media with AI companion bots.

We Are Rushing Into the Same Mistakes With Social Media
www.afterbabel.com/p/dont-repea...

We Are Rushing Into the Same Mistakes We Made With Social Media

Let’s press pause on AI chatbots for kids

www.afterbabel.com

Reposted by Gaia Bernstein

Doron Dorfman @dorfmandoron.bsky.social · Aug 13

As we are about to start the new school year, it's exciting to see all the forthcoming scholarship by my fantastic Seton Hall Law colleagues! Read more about it: law.shu.edu/news/seton-h...

A poster with a blue background with photos of faculty members from Seton Hall and their forthcoming scholarship. You can read the actual names of the pieces here: https://law.shu.edu/news/seton-hall-law-facultys-latest-scholarship-makes-an-impact.html

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Aug 12

I have just launched Digital Crossroads on Substack. Here I post how technology shapes our world through countless small choices we make without thinking; and how tech policy affects everyday life. I hope you will consider subscribing.

open.substack.com/pub/gaiabern...

Welcome to Digital Crossroads

Our Digital Path is Paved with Small Choices

open.substack.com

Reposted by Gaia Bernstein

Doron Dorfman @dorfmandoron.bsky.social · Jul 23

So proud of my wonderful Seton Hall colleague
@gaiabernstein.bsky.social! Wishing you a productive and fun sabbatical year @brookings.edu 🔥🔥🔥 law.shu.edu/news/profess...

Professor Bernstein Selected for a Prestigious Visiting Fellowship at the Brookings Institution - Seton Hall Law School

law.shu.edu

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Jun 17

I interviewed with #Politifact about the dangers of imposing a ten year moratorium on AI state legislation.

Re the impact on kids online safety and and education:
'When you're thinking about kids, that’s a whole generation ... You can't undo this experiment."

www.politifact.com/article/2025...

Trump-backed bill may ban AI laws for a decade

Congress is considering a provision in the reconciliation bill that would block states from regulating artificial intelligence for 10 years. Here are four things to know.

www.politifact.com

Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Jun 2

I am quoted in this New York Times article about how the proposed moratorium on states regulation of AI could halt efforts to protect kids from excessive screen time, related online harms and AI companion bots.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/b...

Companies Rely on Delaware Courts. Lawyers Reap Huge Fees There.

www.nytimes.com

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · May 7

I spoke yesterday at the Brookings Institution event about AI companions; kids; socialization and education. You can watch the recording below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJzm...

The AI generation: Balancing technology and socialization in education

YouTube video by Brookings Institution

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Gaia Bernstein

Matthew Lawrence @mblawrence.bsky.social · May 6

Incredible to see "Moral Panic or Public Health Crisis? Lessons From Drugs and Gambling for 'Addictive' Design" now out in print!

With my amazing @EmoryLaw 2L coauthor, Kevin Yan.

When was the last time you saw a Music Man epigraph?

digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcont...

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · May 4

I was interviewed by @mashable.com about AI companion bots: "There is an opportunity to intervene before the norm has become very entrenched," says Gaia Bernstein, a tech policy expert and professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law.

mashable.com/article/ai-c...

Why experts say AI companions aren't safe for teens — yet

Youth mental health and safety experts are most worried about these AI companion features.

mashable.com

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Mar 25

I am honored that the Seattle University Law Review just published a symposium volume on my book: Unwired: Gaining Control over Addictive Technologies.

The symposium focuses on Addictive Technology and Children. Please check it out.

digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/

Seattle University Law Review | Student Publications and Programs | Seattle University School of Law

Berle Seattle University Symposium Law Review Legal Journal Law Journal Northwest Public Interest Social Justice Business Law Berle-Means Pacific Northwest Seattle Journal Seattle Law Journal Seattle ...

digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu

Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Mar 6

Just published - my new article: Gatekeeping Screen Time: Configuring the Regulation of Addictive Technologies and Kids' Privacy Rights papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Gatekeeping Screen Time: Configuring the Regulation of Addictive Technologies and Kids' Privacy Rights

We all, and especially our kids, spend many hours on screens. Many current studies uncover the harms of excessive screen time for kids. In reaction, legislature

papers.ssrn.com

Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Feb 18

Please tune in to my conversation with Andrew Keen on the risks of AI companions.

Andrew Keen @ajkeen.bsky.social · Feb 18

keenon.substack.com/p/episode-22... important warnings by @gaiabernstein.bsky.social about threat of AI companions to kids

Episode 2241: Gaia Bernstein on the Threat of AI Companions to Children

AI Companions as the New Frontier on Kids' Screen Addiction

keenon.substack.com

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Feb 17

Last opportunity to register to Seton Hall Law School's AI Companions online symposium tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 18 ,12 pm-2:30 pm EST. You can register here: : bit.ly/40Ztl2j

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Feb 6

Please join us for our online symposium on AI companions, to be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18 12 pm-2:30 pm EST. We will explore how are AI companions manipulative? What is the business model? What can parents do? And what are the legal options to regulate them? You can register here: bit.ly/40Ztl2j

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Reposted by Gaia Bernstein

5Rights Foundation @5rightsfound.bsky.social · Jan 21

‼️Children's data is at risk without their knowledge or consent.

Rethink how we safeguard children's digital futures with our Exec. Dir. Leanda Barrington-Leach, Dr. @gaiabernstein.bsky.social, Baroness Shields & @chriswmckenna.bsky.social.

📌Davos, 23/1
🖊️Reg: futurehousedavos.io?autoopen=1 #WEF2025

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Reposted by Gaia Bernstein

5Rights Foundation @5rightsfound.bsky.social · Jan 17

🤔Who controls your child's data?

Join our ED. Leanda Barrington-Leach, Dr.
@gaiabernstein.bsky.social, Baroness @joannashields.bsky.social & Chris McKenna on 23 Jan in Davos to rethink how we protect children in a data-driven world.

Register now🖊️ futurehousedavos.io?autoopen=1
#WEF2025 #davos2025

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Jan 9

My Substack post about Meta's announcement that it will discontinue fact checking, while continuing to provoke anger and discord through its addictive algorithm. And all is done at the expense of their most vulnerable users - kids.

open.substack.com/pub/gaiabern...

Giving Up on the Truth?

Meta Announced It Will Discontinue Fact Checking

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Gaia Bernstein

Finn Byrne 🇨🇮🇨🇦 @irishwriterme.bsky.social · Dec 11

"'You chose to use our product, so you are fully responsible for the harms.' The tech industry applied this strategy by extending responsibility to the parents of their minor users."
@gaiabernstein.bsky.social
After Babel
tinyurl.com/5n7md6t9

The Tech Industry’s Playbook To Prevent Regulation

The Tech Industry is using an old trick – shifting the responsibility entirely to us

tinyurl.com

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Dec 11

I am pleased to share my article on Jonathan Haidt's Substack "After Babel." It explains how the tech industry learnt from the tobacco industry to evade regulation by shifting responsibility to its consumers - in this case the parents.

www.afterbabel.com/p/tech-indus...

The Tech Industry’s Playbook To Prevent Regulation

The Tech Industry is using an old trick – shifting the responsibility entirely to us

www.afterbabel.com

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Nov 23

New blog post: Should We Want to Fix Social Media?
gaiabernstein.com/should-we-wa...

Should We Want to Fix Social Media?

I watch my followers dwindle on X while growing on BlueSky. The cycle of social media migration continues, leaving me wondering - do I really want to start over again? Was it ever that good to begin w...

gaiabernstein.com

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Nov 21

On my way to DC to speak at the Summit on the Future of the Internet. I was at DC just a month ago for another conference, but it feels much heavier traveling there now.

summit.projectliberty.io?fbclid=IwY2x...

Summit on the Future of the Internet

Summit on the Future of the Internet - Thursday, November 21, 2024

summit.projectliberty.io

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Gaia Bernstein @gaiabernstein.bsky.social · Nov 21

My new article about who should legislatures make the gatekeepers of kids screen time: parents, tech companies or both?
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Gatekeeping Screen Time: Configuring the Regulation of Addictive Technologies and Kids' Privacy Rights

<p><span>We all, and especially our kids, spend many hours on screens. Many current studies uncover the harms of excessive screen time for kids. In reaction, le

papers.ssrn.com

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