Panic Meets Policy: Privacy and AI Governance Challenges in a Regulatory Rush

Clarence Okoh, Senior Attorney for Civil Rights and Technology, TechTonic Justice 

Nichole Rocha, Principal, Tech Policy, Rocha Public Affairs 

Ava Smithing, Advocacy and Operations Director, Young People's Alliance 

Amelia Vance, President, Public Interest Privacy Center; Adjunct Professor, William & Mary Law School

By June 2026, the AI-child safety landscape will transform dramatically. With Congress considering outright bans on human-like AI, the FTC's 6(b) inquiries examining how companies evaluate AI's impact on minors and 44 state AGs threatening enforcement, technologies far beyond companion chatbots are likely to face sweeping restrictions. While public pressure following documented teen harms could yield meaningful safeguards, proposed laws risk eliminating beneficial access for minors while creating comprehensive surveillance affecting all users. Our discussants–representing youth voices, state policy advocacy, civil rights perspectives and privacy expertise–examines this collision between justified concern and regulatory overreach. We'll explore how laws targeting specific harms already have the potential to sweep in broader AI systems, why the safety-versus-privacy dichotomy is false and practical strategies for engaging policymakers who may not differentiate between modern GenAI and longstanding algorithms — ultimately advocating for proportionate safeguards that protect both user privacy and innovation.

What you will learn:

• How broadly drafted laws meant to protect children from GenAI harms unintentionally sweep in wider AI systems.
• Privacy-preserving safety measures that can protect children without invasive surveillance.
• Practical approaches for engaging with policymakers to encourage the adoption of proportionate safeguards protecting privacy and safety without limiting beneficial access to technology.