Impact of various media on health

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming woven into the everyday lives of American kids. For advocates in the youth education space, there aren't enough safeguards for the AI platforms kids are using. The 2026 Common Sense Media Census: AI Teens and Tweens is the first in a series of studies intended to track young people’s experiences with AI over time.

 Common Sense Media has embarked on an inaugural study of AI use among America’s tweens and teens. This is the first in a series of studies tracking young people’s experiences with AI over time. In subsequent years, we will engage new cohorts of tweens and teens to understand how their experiences with AI change or remain the same over time. This report considers the knowledge and experience that kids age 9 to 17 have with AI, including how frequently they use it, what they use it for, and what questions and advice they are searching for.

Most Americans say they love working from home. They can skip their commutes, dodge their snippy co-workers, and evade their micromanaging bosses. In 2024, nearly 80 percent of workers said they would be happiest if they could work remotely. Both of us have experienced the advantages of remote work, especially when battling morning sickness or caring for a sick 6-year-old. But on some days, we wouldn’t venture outside or speak face-to-face with another human.

Early in her career, University of California, Irvine Psychologist Gloria Mark's biggest concerns were the potential impacts of internet and email use on our brains. We may laugh those concerns off today, but it’s true that as the technologies became more ubiquitous and ingrained in our daily lives, our attention spans began to shrink. Mark is worried that things are only getting worse. Around two decades ago, Mark started wondering about how our use of devices might affect our attention spans.

Harmful screen use among children and adolescents has become a public health concern; growing up surrounded by screens of al types—televisions, computers, tablets, smartphones—is now the norm. Exposure often begins before a child’s first birthday and increases as children age. By adolescence, children may spend more time on screens than sleeping or attending school. Reducing the negative impacts of harmful screen use requires acting with urgency and empowering caregivers and communities by providing them with evidence-based tools and strategies organized around “the 5 Ds.”

Artificial intelligence adoption has accelerated rapidly in recent years, most visibly through consumer-facing applications such as chatbots and such generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. These technologies are reshaping how people work, communicate, and access information. Less visible but equally consequential is the emergence of wearable AI, which trains on spatial data—including depth, motion, object recognition, and environmental mapping—to interact with the physical world in real time.

Five big ideas to improve the health of rural populations in the United States include "Modernize Rural Infrastructure." Rural internet service is essential for economic development but also increasingly for effective patient care with the growing use of remote patient monitoring and virtual care platforms. Telehealth, an evidence-based modality for many types of care, is possible only if patients and providers have broadband Internet service. Information technology upgrades are also needed in rural hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

There are a growing number of companies offering social chatbots that can act like friends, enemies, lovers, adventurous companions, or the manifestation of a fictional or real person you’ve always wanted to meet. You can pick A.I. Elon Musk’s brain or spar with A.I. Draco Malfoy. The myriad characters, often created by fellow users, offer drama, romance, therapy and LOLs.

Over three hundred thousand Coloradans lack access to broadband internet, or high-speed internet access. Digital literacy and access are considered a “super social determinant of health” because they are critical for workforce participation, accessing essential resources like food and housing, and building community connections.

On March 11, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society hosted a discussion about collaboration, funding, and policy considerations around broadband, digital inclusion, and healthcare.