New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez continues to champion the cause of child safety in the digital age, endorsing new legislative measures and supporting recent calls for stronger regulations on social media platforms.
Attorney General Torrez has endorsed the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024. This Act, sponsored by Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) and co-sponsored by a bipartisan 16-member coalition, aims to establish a commission dedicated to investigating and recommending solutions for preventing, detecting, and prosecuting child exploitation crimes facilitated by artificial intelligence (AI).
'The creation of this commission is a vital step toward ensuring that the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence do not come at the expense of our children's safety,' said Attorney General Torrez. 'By working together, we can establish robust measures to prevent and prosecute child exploitation crimes committed through AI, safeguarding our communities and holding offenders accountable.'
The bipartisan coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general, led by NAAG, emphasizes that while AI holds the potential for significant societal advancements, it also poses serious risks when misused. 'A knife or hammer is a useful tool in the right hands. But in the wrong hands, it's a dangerous weapon. It's the same with AI,' the attorneys general wrote. They expressed hope that the commission's work would lead to effective safety measures and updates to existing laws, protecting children from digital exploitation and holding criminals accountable.
This endorsement follows a September 2023 letter coordinated by NAAG and signed by 54 attorneys general, highlighting the urgent need to address the exploitation of children through AI. The letter detailed AI's capability to create realistic deepfakes and other exploitative content, which can have severe impacts on the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of children.
Adding to his proactive stance, Attorney General Torrez has also voiced strong support for U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's recent call to require warning labels on social media platforms. This recommendation follows the Surgeon General’s 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory, which linked prolonged social media use to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal behaviors among adolescents.
“There is no seatbelt for parents to click, no helmet to snap in place, no assurance that trusted experts have investigated and ensured that these platforms are safe for our kids. There are just parents and their children, trying to figure it out on their own, pitted against some of the best product engineers and most wellresourced companies in the world,” said Surgeon General Murthy.
Murthy’s recommendation for warning labels underscores the same issues identified in the New Mexico Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and its subsidiaries. This lawsuit, which aims to combat sexual abuse, online solicitation, and human trafficking, revealed that Meta’s platforms are being used to direct explicit content to minors, facilitate predator contact, and host groups dedicated to commercial sex.
“People assume that social media apps that are freely available on mobile devices are safe to use but we know that they aren’t. Until these companies change the way they do business and place a premium on the safety of their users, parents should be given explicit warnings about the risk of child exploitation and the devastating impact that these products have on the mental health of children and adolescents,” said Attorney General Torrez.
Attorney General Torrez’s efforts reflect New Mexico’s commitment to creating a safer digital environment for children. By endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024 and supporting regulatory measures like social media warning labels, Torrez is taking steps to protect New Mexico’s youth from online dangers and hold technology companies accountable for their role in these threats.