The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey links frequent social media use to higher suicide risk in youth, especially with the threat of online exploitation.
And with nearly 95% of youth aged 13-17 are on social media, according to a report from the U.S. Surgeon General in 2023, with nearly 40% of those aged 8-12 using it as well.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul urges families and educators to understand how artificial intelligence impacts online safety for children.
“On Safer Internet Day and every day, families and educators can help children learn how to use technology responsibly,” Raoul said. “New technology, such as artificial intelligence, can offer opportunities, but can also open the door to new dangers for young people online.”
Safer Internet Day took place on Feb. 10, and Raoul has tips on how to avoid exploitation online, as well as what to do if your child becomes a victim of it.
“I will continue to advocate for safety online and to help protect children and young adults from the physical and mental health harms that result from dangerous online activity,” Raoul said.
He says tough conversations might be uncomfortable, but they can save lives.
He says about what exploitation can do, “All of which can cause shame, fear, confusion, and even suicidal ideation. Guardians should teach children never to share private information or images.”
Raoul warns about how AI is changing the criminal landscape with convincing deepfakes.
“These fabricated images can have a negative emotional impact on victims,” Raoul said. “Families should also discuss this possibility and how to handle it.”
He says: Have online safety rules and plans in your house, and talk about online activity openly with your children. Parents and guardians should check privacy settings and review your child’s social media friend and follower lists.
And to help your child out for unwanted contact, create an ‘exit plan.’ Raoul says to have a trusted adult who kids feel okay talking to about any unsafe activity online.
Raoul does say that even though he is offering tips for children, anyone can fall victim to online exploitation.
“Offenders trying to exploit young people online might demand money, images or harmful actions,” Raoul says. And he adds if someone suspects they are being targeted to stop all communication, block the person, and tell someone trusted.
And according to the study from the Surgeon General, around 70% of parents say parenting is much more difficult than when they were children. And around 80% of those parents say technology companies bear some responsibility.
The Attorney General offers parents to watch: “The Digital Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Protecting Kids in the Age of AI,” which he says is a recorded webinar about the use of generative AI. The Attorney General’s website also has resources for parents and guardians.
The Attorney General continually files legislation aimed at protecting children online from Artificial Intelligence using their images for unlawful material.
The Attorney General joined a coalition of other AGs demanding the company ‘xAI’, which owns the ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) social media platform, as well as an AI chatbot, Grok, to stop generating any non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.
In August of last year, the attorney general led a similar coalition with demands that Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and AI tech companies “adopt safeguards against predatory artificial intelligence assistants and chatbots that have inappropriate conversations with children.”
And in 2024, Raoul was a part of the legislation signed into law, making it illegal to use AI technology to create child sexual abuse material, whether the ‘children’ in that scenario are even real.
His office also filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. in October of 2023, according to Raoul.
“The lawsuit highlighted Meta’s internal research that showed using Facebook and Instagram is associated with increased risks of physical and mental harms of young people, including depression, sleep deprivation, eating disorders, and suicide,” his office wrote. “In March 2022, Raoul announced a bipartisan, nationwide investigation into TikTok for providing and promoting its social media platform to children and young adults despite its use being associated with physical and mental health harms.”
With a federal grant, Raoul’s office runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. (ICAC) Raoul’s office says reports increased by 45% over 2024 numbers in 2025.
If you see exploitation online, Raoul’s office says to contact one of the following: cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov