Anthropic Co-founder Jack Clark has revealed that he doesn’t give his young daughter unfettered or full access to YouTube because its algorithm freaks him out. Clark joins a long list of high-profile Silicon Valley tech executives who’ve publicly voiced views of limiting the use of social media and video-sharing platforms like YouTube within their own homes, particularly among their kids.
Clark, who is also the head of policy at Anthropic which is the company behind the viral AI chatbot called Claude, said on The Ezra Klein Show, “I have the classic Californian technology executive view of not having that much technology around for children.”
Unrestricted YouTube access ‘freak out’ Anthropic co-founder
Jack Clark insisted that while he does allow his daughter, who is a “toddler”, to watch YouTube, he doesn’t give her unrestricted access. He said, “We have a smart TV. My toddler can watch ‘Bluey’ and a couple of other shows, but we haven’t let her have unfettered access to the YouTube algorithm.”
The Anthropic co-founder admitted that the thought of exposing her daughter to the YouTube algorithm was alarming. Clark added, “It freaks me out.”
Jack stated that he has noticed that his daughter is becoming more inclined towards watching YouTube. He explained, “But I see her seeing the YouTube pane on the TV, and I know at some point we’re going to have to have that conversation.”
Tech leaders who restrict online exposure for their kids
Clark is not the only one in the tech industry who has tried to prevent his child from being too exposed to online platforms. In December last year, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan stated that he restricted the use of social media platforms for his children.
YouTube’s former CEO Susan Wojcicki has previously stated that she only allowed her younger kids to use YouTube Kids – a curated version of the platform designed for children under the age of 13.
Last year, Miranda Kerr stated that she and her husband, Snap CEO Even Spiegal, didn’t allow their teenage son to have a smartphone or computer inside his room after 9:30 pm. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel said in 2024 that his children were only allowed a 90-minute screen time each week.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates too only gave cell phones to his children when they turned 14. While in 2010, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs stated that his kids had not used an iPad.
Governments are also taking action. Last year, Australia became the first country to ban all social media platforms for children under the age of 16. Spain has announced similar plans.
Anthropic co-founder suggests stricter parental controls for AI
Clark accepted that technology was becoming more “ubiquitous,” making it “hard to escape” for modern families. He also accepted that there was a need for parental controls for AI too. He said, “We serve ages 18 and up today, but obviously, kids are smart, and they’re going to try to get onto this stuff.”
Anthropic currently requires users to be aged 18 or older to create an account to use its platforms. Jack Clark added, “You’re going to need to build a whole bunch of systems to prevent children from spending so much time with this.”
In September last year, OpenAI introduced parental controls for ChatGPT, allowing parents to monitor how their child used the chatbot.
