Do Social Media Bans Work? + A Conversation About A.I. Consciousness + Tool Time

2026-07-10 · Source: NYT > Technology · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, Legal & Regulatory · Depth: Intermediate, extended

Summary

The July 10, 2026, "Hard Fork" podcast episode examines the global landscape of social media bans for minors, new research into AI consciousness, and practical tech tools. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block Texas's App Store Accountability Act, which mandates age verification and parental consent for app downloads by minors, potentially paving the way for similar laws in states like Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, and California. Despite Australia's ban, a study found over 85% of kids still use social media after 90 days, prompting increased fines for platforms. NYU Professor Jeff Sebo discusses AI welfare, distinguishing between access and phenomenal consciousness, and the significance of Anthropic's "JSpace" research, which identifies an internal workspace in Claude analogous to human thought. The episode concludes with hosts sharing tools like Glaze for Mac app development, Gemini Spark for custom news digests, and Fable for advanced fact-checking.

Key takeaway

For policymakers and AI developers weighing regulatory approaches, the mixed results of social media bans highlight the need for adaptable, multi-faceted strategies. You should consider implementing robust parental controls for AI systems, as blanket bans may stifle beneficial uses while proving difficult to enforce. Prioritize interdisciplinary research into AI welfare to inform future ethical guidelines and avoid unintended consequences.

Key insights

AI consciousness research is shifting from fringe to mainstream, driven by model sophistication and ethical concerns.

Principles

• Consciousness attribution carries dual risks.
• Social media bans face implementation challenges.
• AI models exhibit internal "workspaces."

Method

Studying AI welfare empirically requires integrating behavioral, internal, and developmental evidence to assess consciousness plausibility in AI systems.

In practice

• Use Glaze for rapid Mac app development.
• Configure Gemini Spark for custom news digests.
• Employ Fable for detailed manuscript fact-checking.

Topics

• Social Media Bans
• AI Consciousness
• AI Welfare
• Age Verification
• LLM Interpretability
• AI Development Tools

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Executive, AI Scientist, Policy Maker, Entrepreneur

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by NYT > Technology.