🚨 Panel Alert: Kids, Courts, and Chatbots: The Next Phase of Internet Policy

Two of the most consequential tech policy questions of the moment are colliding at State of the Net: what the Supreme Court’s Paxton decision means for age verification and online speech — and how emerging AI “companions” are reshaping human connection, mental health, and the role of government in digital life.

Our expert panel at SOTN will unpack one of the most consequential online safety rulings to date: Verifying the Future: The Paxton Decision, Age Assurance, and the Next Phase of Online Safety.

Panelists will explore what the Paxton decision means for age-verification requirements, online speech, and platform obligations—and how states may approach regulation in the years ahead. The discussion will tackle the legal, technical, and policy challenges of protecting minors online while safeguarding privacy and First Amendment rights.

We’ll also feature a forward-looking conversation on AI companionship: Chatting with Machines: Mental Health, AI Companions, and the New Psychology of Connection examining how emerging AI tools are reshaping human connection and well-being.

Speakers below. You can now check out our full schedule online, and stay tuned for more speaker announcements! Register now to join us for these critical conversations shaping the future of technology policy.