Press Hits Database

Internal reference document - All YPA press coverage

Media Coverage (39)

Date	Title	Outlet	Description	Link
October 1, 2026	SCV News: Whitesides' Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Children from Chatbots	SCV News	SCV News covers the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting Kids from Human-Like Chatbots Act from Reps. George Whitesides, Mike Kennedy, Doris Matsui, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, which Young People's Alliance endorsed, quoting Executive Director Sam Hiner calling it the first federal bill to advance the ideas championed by the Human-like AI Coalition and the strongest federal approach yet to keep AI a tool.	View
September 30, 2026	The New Yorker: The Humanism Driving the Anti-A.I. Movement	The New Yorker	The New Yorker reports from the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., where attendees spoke less about jobs and policy than about their philosophy of life, including a twenty-two-year-old Young People's Alliance member who said she felt she'd "lost brain cells" since she started using A.I.	View
September 30, 2026	WUNC Due South: In Harm's Way: Technology and What It's Doing to Our Children, Our Schools and Our Society	WUNC Due South	WUNC's Due South hosts Young People's Alliance Advocacy Director Mick Tobin alongside UNC psychologist Mitch Prinstein, Elon University's Lee Rainie, and parent organizer Mary Beth Roche for a conversation on the Meta and TikTok litigation, school cell phone policies, the risks of artificial intelligence, and what can be done about technology's harms to young people.	View
September 18, 2026	NPR: How Google is drafting AI chatbot laws around the country	NPR	NPR investigates a tech industry lobbying effort, led by Google, to write state AI chatbot bills with exemptions that would shield the most widely used chatbots from the rules the bills claim to set, quoting Young People's Alliance cofounder Mick Tobin on how advocates working in different states kept finding the exact same bill language, with Google turning up to lobby for it.	View
September 9, 2026	ABC11: North Carolina Supreme Court hears arguments in TikTok lawsuit	ABC11 Raleigh-Durham	ABC11 Raleigh-Durham covers oral arguments over whether North Carolina's lawsuit against TikTok and ByteDance can proceed, quoting Young People's Alliance cofounder Mick Tobin, a Duke graduate and North Carolina native, on how addictive feeds erode young people's sense of time and self-esteem, and why the conversation should move away from personal responsibility.	View
August 29, 2026	Rolling Stone: New Facebook and Instagram Rules Are Coming for Teens. Will They Help?	Rolling Stone	Rolling Stone breaks down the teen-safety changes Meta agreed to as part of its settlement, quoting Young People's Alliance cofounder Mick Tobin on why removing the algorithmic feed and hiding likes matters, why the two-hour limit may not, and why the settlement should be treated as a failure of Congress rather than the end of the fight.	View
August 28, 2026	The Apopka Chief: FLCA Symposium Updates Apopka on Data Centers, AI Policy	The Apopka Chief	The Apopka Chief covers a Florida Citizens Alliance symposium on data center development and AI policy, quoting Young People's Alliance National Organizing Director Alex Dray on turning grassroots concern into bipartisan AI companion chatbot laws in Nebraska, Washington, and Hawaii.	View
August 21, 2026	Lowell Sun: Protesters Bring Petition to Trahan's Office to Oppose Frontier Act Section	Lowell Sun	The Lowell Sun covers protesters, including Young People's Alliance of Massachusetts, delivering thousands of signatures to Rep. Lori Trahan's office opposing a section of her bipartisan Frontier Act that critics say would preempt state and local AI regulations; YPA students helped organize the protest.	View
August 26, 2026	The Boston Globe: AI Data Center Protest Puts Pressure on Rep. Trahan's Federal AI Regulation Bill	The Boston Globe	The Boston Globe covers a grassroots protest outside Rep. Lori Trahan's Lowell office opposing her federal AI regulation bill, naming Young People's Alliance, whose students helped organize the demonstration, among the advocacy groups involved.	View
August 27, 2026	DC News Now: DMV Parents Who Lost Children to Online Harms Say Meta Settlement Is Progress, But Not Enough	DC News Now	DC News Now interviews Washington-area parents who lost children to online harms about Meta's $17 billion settlement, noting Young People's Alliance among the youth advocacy groups pushing for stronger protections across the tech industry.	View
August 26, 2026	Tech Policy Press: What's in Meta's Teen Social Media Settlement, and What Hinges on Its Rivals	Tech Policy Press	Mick Tobin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director of Young People's Alliance, is quoted on how the settlement's design protections, from turning off algorithmic feeds to hiding like counts, reflect changes young people have demanded for years to combat compulsive use and social comparison.	View
August 27, 2026	Mashable: Meta Settlement: 5 Big Changes for Instagram, Facebook	Mashable	Mick Tobin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director of Young People's Alliance, is quoted extensively on Meta's $17 billion settlement and its new teen design changes, welcoming the shift while warning that the terms only need to remain in effect for 10 years and depend on Meta actually implementing them effectively.	View
August 26, 2026	Politico: Meta's Mega-Deal Could Change the Game for Social Media	Politico	Mick Tobin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director of Young People's Alliance, is quoted on the limits of Meta's multistate settlement, arguing that if Congress had passed KOSA years ago, safety-by-design protections would already be law instead of being won piecemeal through state litigation.	View
August 19, 2026	NC Newsline: As Meta Faces Trial for Hooking Kids on Social Media, NC's Attorney General Offers Parents Advice	NC Newsline	Mick Tobin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director of Young People's Alliance, is quoted on the social ramifications of manipulating young people online as North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson's case against Meta goes to trial, and on YPA's push for legislation restricting addictive design features like infinite scroll and autoplay.	View
August 17, 2026	Inc.: New Jersey's Kids Code Rejects Age Checks. It Puts the Burden on Platforms Instead	Inc.	YPA member Hannah Elder is quoted on how the newly signed Kids Code shows her generation that Big Tech shouldn't have a stronghold over their lives, as New Jersey takes an approach to youth online safety that avoids age-verification fights facing other internet laws.	View
August 15, 2026	Axios: College Loses Its Monopoly on the American Dream	Axios	YPA member Rachel Sukkar, a UNC Chapel Hill student, is quoted on the pressure of competing in today's job market, describing college as feeling like "a rat race" amid growing anxiety over AI's impact on career prospects.	View
May 31, 2026	The Guardian: Young adults are struggling to achieve financial independence amid affordability crisis	The Guardian	YPA student Raven is quoted on the affordability crisis facing young Americans and the growing challenges to achieving financial independence in today's economy.	View
May 14, 2026	State Affairs: YPA Advocacy Director on Protecting Youth Social Fabric from AI Companions	State Affairs Pro	Mick Tobin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director of YPA, speaks on why AI companion regulation matters for young people's ability to build real human connections and maintain healthy social development.	View
May 11, 2026	Axios: YPA Members Share Gen-Z Perspective on Today's Challenging Job Market	Axios	Sam Hiner and YPA member Amelia Sexton, a UNC Chapel Hill sophomore, are quoted on the generational optimism gap in the American job market and what young people are doing to navigate career challenges in the age of AI.	View
March 3, 2026	NPR: College students and professors are making their own AI rules	NPR	Hannah Elder, a UNC Chapel Hill junior and YPA member, speaks on the importance of cultivating your own thoughts and maintaining authentic writing skills in the age of AI, while advocating for responsible AI integration in education.	View
November 21, 2025	Axios: YPA releases Human-like AI Policy Framework alongside coalition	Axios	Youth and family advocacy groups call for restrictions on AI chatbots designed to form emotional relationships with users.	View
February 19, 2026	YPA on Zuckerberg Testifying in Landmark Social Media Case	The Free Press	Young People's Alliance weighs in on Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in the landmark social media case examining the impact of platforms on young users.	View
October 28, 2025	TIME: YPA organizes coalition statement on GUARD Act	TIME	Youth advocacy groups organize coalition statement supporting bipartisan legislation to protect minors from AI chatbots.	View
July 1, 2025	POLITICO: YPA helps strike down AI moratorium	POLITICO	Young People's Alliance successfully advocates against AI moratorium during Senate negotiations of 'Big Beautiful Bill'.	View
January 28, 2025	TIME: YPA files FTC complaint about AI Companion deceptive practices	TIME	Young People's Alliance files formal complaint with Federal Trade Commission regarding deceptive practices by AI companion apps.	View
July 30, 2024	PBS NewsHour: YPA Advocacy Director, Ava Smithing, interviewed on Kids Online Safety Act	PBS NewsHour	Ava Smithing discusses the Kids Online Safety Act and the debate over censorship and privacy protections for children online.	View
April 17, 2024	YPA's Advocacy Director, Ava Smithing, testifies before Congress	U.S. House of Representatives	Ava Smithing provides testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on youth online safety issues.	View
January 31, 2024	Washington Post: YPA demonstrates in front of tech CEO's testifying before Congress	Washington Post	Young People's Alliance members demonstrate outside congressional hearing where tech CEOs testified about child safety.	View
November 8, 2023	Bloomberg: YPA profiled for online safety work	Bloomberg	Bloomberg profiles Young People's Alliance and how Gen-Z activists are taking on Big Tech.	View
November 5, 2023	Washington Post: YPA Executive Director, Sam Hiner, covered for tech advocacy work	Washington Post	Sam Hiner and youth activists featured for their work pushing for social media reform legislation.	View
August 2, 2023	PEOPLE: YPA receives Responsible Tech Youth Power Fund Grant	PEOPLE	Young People's Alliance receives grant from Harry and Meghan's Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund.	View
December 9, 2025	YPA Participates in AI Preemption Protest with Heat Initiative, Bereaved Parents and Partners	Fox 40 / GlobeNewswire	Bereaved parents, advocates, and Heat Initiative stage DC protest against AI preemption amid defense bill negotiations.	View
January 13, 2026	YPA pushes against 'unchecked power' online	MLex / FTCWatch	Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director for Young People's Alliance, discusses pushing against unchecked power online and her advocacy work protecting young people.	View
April 10, 2026	YPA Lobby Day at NC General Assembly on Social Media Privacy	Raleigh News & Observer	Students from Young People's Alliance spoke with NC lawmakers about social media privacy bills and affordable housing as part of the Declaration for a New American Dream campaign.	View
November 15, 2024	Substack: YPA talks to 20,000 voters in run-up to 2024 election	Substack	Reflection on YPA's voter outreach efforts and conversations with 20,000 voters during the 2024 election cycle.	View
April 19, 2023	Spectrum: YPA spearheads NC bill to preserve online autonomy	Spectrum News	Students spearhead bill to protect their peers online through North Carolina legislature.	View
October 17, 2022	Spectrum: YPA activates student voters in 2022	Spectrum News	Young People's Alliance works to turn out young voters in the 2022 midterm elections.	View
September 5, 2023	Washington Post: Sam Hiner and Youth Organizers Push for Social Media Reform	Washington Post	Sam Hiner is featured for his role as a youth organizer in the responsible tech space, leading young activists' efforts to reform social media and protect young users.	View
July 28, 2026	Politico: Kids Online Safety Advocates Ramp Up Pressure on the Senate	Politico	Politico's Congress live blog covers youth and child safety advocates, including YPA, pressing senators to advance the Kids Online Safety Act and other child safety bills as the Commerce Committee prepared to take up the legislation.	View

Press Release (19)

Date	Title	Outlet	Description	Link
October 1, 2026	Young People's Alliance Proud to Support Bipartisan Protecting Kids from Human-Like Chatbots Act	YPA Press Release	YPA supports the bipartisan Protecting Kids from Human-Like Chatbots Act from Reps. Whitesides, Miller-Meeks, Matsui, and Kennedy, which requires chatbots to be non-personified for minors, with a statement from Advocacy Director and Cofounder Mick Tobin.	View
September 11, 2026	Young People's Alliance Statement on Governor Newsom's Signage of Social Media and AI Safety Legislation	YPA Press Release	YPA responds to Governor Newsom signing AB 2, AB 1709, and SB 1119 into law, with a statement from Western Regional Director George Ashford on what are now some of the strongest social media and AI safety guardrails in the nation.	View
September 1, 2026	Young People's Alliance Celebrates Passage of AB 1709, California's Targeted Ban on Addictive Design Features	YPA Press Release	YPA celebrates the passage of AB 1709, which prohibits social media platforms from serving addictive features and feeds to users under 16, after youth advocates urged the legislature to replace the bill's original under-16 access ban with a targeted prohibition on addictive design.	View
August 26, 2026	Young People's Alliance Statement on Meta Settlement Over Predatory Design Practices	YPA Press Release	YPA responds to Meta's $17 billion multistate settlement over predatory design practices that knowingly addicted and manipulated millions of young people, with a statement from Advocacy Director Mick Tobin.	View
August 11, 2026	NJ Governor Sherrill Signs Kids' Online Safety Package	Office of Governor Sherrill	New Jersey Governor Sherrill's office quotes YPA member Hannah Elder, a UNC Chapel Hill student, on the newly signed Kids Code showing her generation that tech companies shouldn't control their lives.	View
June 30, 2026	Young People's Alliance Celebrates Passage of NJ Kids Code	YPA Press Release	YPA celebrates the passage of A4015/S3413, the New Jersey Kids Code Act, which balances kids' online safety with youth autonomy through design-based regulations.	View
June 29, 2026	Young People's Alliance Statement on Passage of KIDS Act	YPA Press Release	YPA responds to the US House passage of the KIDS Act, applauding the inclusion of an opt-out for personalized recommendation systems while warning that the bill falls short on key protections for young people.	View
June 24, 2026	Young People's Alliance Praises Congress for Passing Landmark Federal Housing Legislation	YPA Press Release	YPA commends Congress for passing the 21st Century Road to Housing Act (H.R. 6644), the first major housing reform legislation in decades, which will lower the cost of homeownership and rent through pro-supply policies.	View
June 8, 2026	Young People's Alliance Celebrates Unanimous Passage of Nation's Strongest AI Chatbot Kids Safety Bill, Urges Gov. Hochul to Keep It Strong	YPA Press Release	YPA celebrates the New York Legislature's unanimous passage of S.9051 and A.10379, the strongest AI chatbot kids safety legislation in the country, and urges Gov. Hochul to sign it without weakening its protections.	View
April 30, 2026	YPA Gives Statement on Bipartisan GUARD Act Introduced in the House	YPA Press Release	Sam Hiner, Executive Director of the Young People's Alliance, was quoted in the congressional press release announcing the bipartisan introduction of the GUARD Act by Reps. Foushee (D-NC) and Moore (R-UT), which bans AI companion chatbots for minors.	View
March 25, 2026	Statement from the Young People's Alliance on the K.G.M. v. Meta & YouTube Verdict	YPA Press Release	YPA responds to the jury verdict holding Meta and YouTube accountable for designing platforms that manipulate young users.	View
March 19, 2026	New Report Reveals Gen Z's Complicated Relationship with AI: Embrace It for Tasks, Reject It for Human Connection	YPA Press Release	YPA released 'The Need for a New American Dream' based on listening sessions with ~210 students across 22 campuses, finding young Americans draw clear lines around where AI does and does not belong.	View
March 26, 2026	YPA On Washington's Frontier AI Bill HB 2225	YPA Press Release	The Young People's Alliance applauds the Washington State Legislature for passing HB 2225, a bill that addresses manipulative, human-like AI companion chatbots.	View
March 12, 2026	Young People's Alliance Applauds Court Decision Allowing California Age-Appropriate Design Code to Move Forward	YPA Press Release	YPA commends the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision allowing most provisions of California's Age-Appropriate Design Code to take effect after years of legal challenges fueled by tech industry groups.	View
April 1, 2025	Youth Advocacy Organizations File Brief in Garcia v. Character Technologies	YPA Press Release	A group of youth-led advocacy organizations filed an amicus curiae brief opposing prematurely dismissing the case of a mother whose son died by suicide after using an AI companion application.	View
April 2, 2024	Youth Organization Champions 'Pro-Human' Legislation in North Carolina	YPA Press Release	YPA supports SB514 and SB624, two critical bills written by students to preserve young people's humanity in the age of social media and AI.	View
January 28, 2025	YPA Files FTC Complaint Against Replika AI for Deceptive Practices	YPA Press Release	Young People's Alliance, alongside Encode and the Tech Justice Law Project, filed a formal complaint with the FTC against Replika AI for deceptive advertising and exploitative practices targeting vulnerable individuals.	View
October 28, 2024	Coalition Statement on the GUARD Act	YPA Press Release	YPA and coalition partners applaud the introduction of the GUARD Act by Senators Hawley and Blumenthal to protect children from AI chatbot harms.	View
November 21, 2025	Coalition Unveils Model Policy Framework to Protect Children from AI Companions	YPA Press Release	Young People's Alliance, Public Citizen, Jonathan Haidt, and coalition partners release comprehensive policy framework to address emotionally manipulative AI companion apps.	View

Op-Eds (13)

Date	Title	Outlet	Description	Author	Link
September 14, 2026	Schools Should Help Students Navigate AI, Not Ban It	The 74	Akankshya Swain, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Lira Roome, a senior at Midlothian High School in Virginia, both YPA members, argue that banning AI in schools leaves students to figure it out alone and risks a new digital divide, and that schools should teach students to use it well instead.	Akankshya Swain & Lira Roome	View
August 22, 2026	Stop testing memory, start measuring learning	Richmond Times-Dispatch	Hamsini Peri, a rising senior at John Champe High School and member of her school's Young People's Alliance chapter, argues that schools must move beyond a test-driven system that fuels AI dependence, memorization and academic stress by prioritizing assessments that develop critical thinking and real-world skills.	Hamsini Peri	View
August 8, 2026	The Case for Intergenerational AI Advocacy	The Fulcrum	Arvind Salem argues that AI systems trained on biased data discriminate against both young and elderly people, creating a rare opportunity for these age groups to form a powerful political coalition demanding fair representation in AI training data.	Arvind Salem	View
July 28, 2026	Betting on Crisis: Why Prediction Markets Are a Threat to Democratic Trust	The Fulcrum	Rachel Ledoux warns that as prediction markets expand from economic forecasting into politics and global affairs, monetizing political outcomes and international crises risks eroding democratic trust and civic engagement.	Rachel Ledoux	View
June 14, 2026	You Can Mute Notifications But You Can't Escape the Algorithm	Common Dreams	Sarah Maness, a UNC Chapel Hill student and YPA chapter coach, argues that social media companies have intentionally designed their products to be addictive to young users, and that the problem cannot be resolved until the entire architecture of the platforms is overhauled.	Sarah Maness	View
May 20, 2026	Gen Z Begs Legislators: Make Social Media Social Again	The Fulcrum	Sparkle Rainey calls on legislators to hold Big Tech accountable with design-based regulations to combat algorithmic feeds, infinite scroll, and addictive platform features that are driving young people apart.	Sparkle Rainey	View
January 30, 2026	Tech giants must protect vulnerable youth from predators	Cap Times	Mansi Peters calls on tech companies to implement stronger protections against fraudulent accounts and sextortion schemes targeting minors, following the tragic death of a Wisconsin teen.	Mansi Peters	View
September 25, 2025	How AI companions are putting young people at risk and what can be done about it	Santa Cruz Sentinel	Joshua Brons from UC Santa Cruz explores the dangers of AI companion apps and advocates for stronger protections for young users.	Joshua Brons	View
July 25, 2025	The hidden hunger crisis on UNC campus	Indy Week	Sarah Maness from UNC Chapel Hill sheds light on the often-overlooked food insecurity affecting college students.	Sarah Maness	View
October 9, 2025	Chatbots are harming our children. What can be done?	Richmond Times Dispatch	Atiksh Bhan examines how AI chatbots are negatively impacting young people and proposes solutions to address the issue.	Atiksh Bhan	View
October 17, 2025	California fails to protect families from AI exploitation	Washington Examiner	Sparkle Rainey argues that California's regulatory approach leaves families vulnerable to AI chatbot manipulation.	Sparkle Rainey	View
November 4, 2025	How housing policy is failing NC's young people	Carolina Journal	Mick Tobin and Iha Pemmaraju examine how current housing policies are leaving young North Carolinians behind and what can be done to fix it.	Mick Tobin & Iha Pemmaraju	View
November 17, 2025	AI protections for minors will help us beat China	Institute for Family Studies	Sam Hiner argues that protecting young Americans from harmful AI is both a moral imperative and strategic necessity.	Sam Hiner	View

Podcasts (10)

Date	Title	Outlet	Description	Link
September 1, 2025	Sam on Efforts to Protect Young People from Evolving Technology	NC Newsline	Sam Hiner discusses YPA's work protecting young people from harmful technology and AI.	View
September 10, 2025	From Algorithms to AI Chat Bots: A Youth's Perspective	Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes	Ava Smithing examines how social media algorithms expose kids and teens to harmful content and discusses AI chatbot dangers.	View
October 2, 2025	The Fight to Save Kids from Social Media Harms	WONK	Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director of the Young People's Alliance, talks about the addictiveness of social media platforms, advice for parents, and the legal efforts underway to hold tech firms more accountable.	View
June 10, 2025	Young Voices on AI Risk: Jobs, Community & the Fight for Our Future	For Humanity Podcast	Sam Hiner, Ava Smithing, and Emma Corbett discuss youth advocacy and protecting young people online.	View
December 3, 2025	Kids and Phones: A Call for Social Media Regulations	WUNC Due South	Ava Smithing joins WUNC's Due South to discuss kids, phones, and social media regulation.	View
February 11, 2026	Machines Like Us	The Globe and Mail	YPA featured on The Globe and Mail's Machines Like Us podcast exploring the intersection of AI, youth advocacy, and the fight to protect young people from harmful technology.	View
March 17, 2026	Sam Hiner on AI & Youth Advocacy	YouTube	YPA Executive Director Sam Hiner discusses how AI companion apps are affecting young people and what policymakers can do to protect them.	View
April 6, 2026	Sam Hiner on Holding Big Social Media Corporations Accountable	NC Newsline	Sam Hiner discusses recent court rulings in California and New Mexico holding corporations liable for damages to children, as well as other challenges facing young people in the modern world.	View
February 2026	Gen Z Power and Building What Comes Next	Sustainable Media	Ava Smithing joins Sustainable Media to discuss Gen Z political power, youth advocacy, and building the future of responsible technology.	View
Fall 2025	Left to Their Own Devices	Toronto Star	YPA featured on the Toronto Star's podcast exploring children's relationship with technology and digital devices.	View

Total Press Items: 81