Peer-reviewed article
TRUSTWORTHY AI AND ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION : AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS
Mónika Mercz ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how artificial intelligence affects child safety and well-being in digital environments. It identifies risks including harmful content, digital addiction, online grooming, and deepfake exploitation. The research compares how the United States and European Union regulate AI for child protection and argues that effective safeguards require a mix of law, corporate responsibility, digital literacy, and human oversight rather than restriction alone.
Key points
- AI creates both opportunities for education and creativity, and risks such as harmful content, digital addiction, online grooming, and deepfake exploitation
- Effective child protection requires a combination of legal safeguards, ethical corporate responsibility, digital literacy, transparency, and meaningful human oversight
- The study compares regulatory approaches between the United States and European Union
- AI's impact on children's emotional development and online experiences was analyzed
- AI is a dual-use technology whose societal impact depends on ethical and regulatory frameworks governing its development and deployment
Limitations
This is a qualitative analysis that examines regulatory and ethical dimensions but does not evaluate the effectiveness of specific AI-based interventions through empirical testing. It cannot tell us which specific AI safety measures actually reduce child harm in practice.
Abstract
Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the digital environments in which children learn, communicate, and socialize. While AI-driven technologies create valuable opportunities for education, creativity, and online safety, they also expose children to risks such as harmful content, digital addiction, online grooming, and deepfake exploitation. This study examines the sociological, legal, and economic dimensions of AI-driven child protection through an interdisciplinary qualitative approach. It analyzes the impact of AI on children’s emotional development and online experiences, compares regulatory approaches in the United States and the European Union, and evaluates the role of trustworthy AI in content moderation and online safety. The article argues that effective child protection cannot rely solely on restrictive legislation. Instead, responsible AI governance requires a combination of legal safeguards, ethical corporate responsibility, digital literacy, transparency, and meaningful human oversight. Ultimately, the study concludes that AI should be understood as a dual-use technology capable of both harm and protection, whose societal impact depends largely on the ethical and regulatory frameworks governing its development and deployment.