{"id":226953,"date":"2025-10-16T10:57:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T17:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/?p=226953"},"modified":"2025-10-16T11:35:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:35:34","slug":"we-forgot-the-kids-funders-back-new-efforts-to-support-youth-wellbeing-in-a-tech-driven-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/we-forgot-the-kids-funders-back-new-efforts-to-support-youth-wellbeing-in-a-tech-driven-world","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe Forgot the Kids.\u201d Funders Back New Efforts to Support Youth Wellbeing in a Tech-Driven World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last year, Young Futures, a new nonprofit with billionaire backing and a mission to help young people thrive in an increasingly digital world, debuted with the aim of supporting nonprofits pursuing that goal<\/a>. It\u2019s done so through a series of funding challenges<\/a> that address issues young people face today, like mental health, isolation and loneliness, and phones in schools. On October 15, Young Futures announced the grant recipients for its Here Comes the Fun<\/a> challenge, which explores the important role of play in youth wellbeing. And last week, Young Futures rolled out its fifth challenge to date, Oops\u2026! AI Did It Again<\/a>, which aims to identify, support and scale innovative solutions to help young people thrive as AI becomes increasingly prevalent in every domain of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe challenge addresses the urgent need to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to navigate AI, which is rapidly reshaping their learning, creativity, relationships and mental health,\u201d as Young Futures puts it<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Oops\u2026! AI Did It Again challenge, Young Futures will award up to 10 one-year grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. The challenge will identify and support organizations developing innovative tools and programs to foster the safe, positive use of AI in classrooms, online and in relationships. The goal is to help young people safely navigate the brave new AI world \u2014 and to provide adults the information they need to help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young Futures highlights AI\u2019s risks for young people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI is everywhere these days, and its influence is growing as the technology becomes increasingly advanced. Many find it frightening, with concerns ranging from its impact on the job market<\/a>, the environment<\/a> and human relationships<\/a>, to more dire prospects, like warfare conducted by killer robots<\/a> and, ultimately, human annihilation<\/a>. But as companies compete in a race to dominate the market, they\u2019re paying little attention to the many possible dangers of this revolutionary technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katya Hancock, Young Futures\u2019 CEO, believes the failure to consider the potential downsides of the AI boom poses particular risks for young people. \u201cBillions of dollars are flowing into the development of artificial intelligence, but almost none of it reaches the places where young people actually interact with these tools: classrooms, libraries, family homes and, let\u2019s be honest, everywhere they\u2019re online,\u201d she wrote on LinkedIn<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve invested heavily in the technology itself, but not in the people and systems that help teens use AI safely, critically, and with confidence.\u201d The post is headlined \u201cWe poured billions into AI. We forgot the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people may not be getting the guidance they need to find their way safely through this new landscape, but that isn\u2019t stopping them from exploring it anyway. Many are doing so alone and in secret, which can lead to anxiety and other potential mental health effects, as Young Futures notes<\/a>. According to a recent study<\/a>, half of young people report using AI. Common Sense Media<\/a> found that close to 3 in 4 teens have used AI companions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conversations with young people, the Young Futures team learned they have mixed feelings about AI. Many worry about how it will affect their job prospects and about its impact on the climate, and are concerned that adults seem to be ignoring these very real threats. At the same time, many say AI can be a useful homework aid; others find genuine comfort from AI companions. \u201cThis is not to say we shouldn’t have regulation around AI and especially companion bots; they have not been designed with young people’s safety in mind and that is a huge problem,\u201d Hancock told me. \u201cBut when we have these conversations around young people’s AI use, we have to come at it with empathy and try to understand where they’re coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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