The Download: the Kids issue arrives, and Bill Gates reveals his AI fears
The latest issue of MIT Technology Review explores the intersection of childhood and technology, examining how kids navigate an AI-driven world. The issue covers topics ranging from tech skepticism among tech workers to the impact of AI on education and childhood development.
Why it matters
As technology becomes increasingly pervasive, understanding its influence on the next generation is critical for parents, educators, and policymakers.
Plus: Trump’s EPA aims to exempt data centers from disclosing air pollution.
This is today's edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.
If the desire to limit kids' use of technology was once a subcurrent, it has become a raging flood. Countries around the world are banning children from social media. Schools across the US are ditching iPads and Chromebooks for actual books. Kids themselves seem to be embracing this tech skepticism too: the hottest gadget for Gen Alpha is a vintage Sony Walkman.
A surprising—maybe troubling—number of people who work in big tech also keep their kids at arm’s distance from technology. They lock down their phones, if they have phones at all, and keep them off social media. Hell, even Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t publicly post his children’s faces on Facebook or Instagram.
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