Shocking film shows how our kids are drowning in the AI abyss

The film “The AI abyss” is a plunge into the uncharted waters of AI in the media. It draws a
parallel to MLL's long-standing tradition of empowering children, dating back to their initiatives of
teaching children to swim 50 years ago. Today, the challenge lies not in water, but in the media
stream, where AI increasingly blurs the line between reality and fiction.

Europol predicts that by 2026, AI could be responsible for creating up to 90% of all media
content*. This escalating reality, combined with existing online threats, emphasizes the need for
effective and prompt parental guidance in children's media use as well as labeling.

“We need an identifier to clarify whether content is reality-based or AI-produced, much like the
Parental Advisory label helps identify content harmful to children. This becomes even more
important as children's media literacy struggles to keep up with the rise of AI,” says Paula
Aalto, head of school cooperation and digital youth work at The Mannerheim League for Child
Welfare.

The inspiration came from parental worry

The film “The AI abyss” portrays a young girl receiving a cell phone from her parents without any
media literacy education. She embarks on a journey into the 'stream of media', visualized as a
pool of water. Initially fascinated by the flow of intriguing media content, her experience soon
takes a sinister turn as AI-generated elements morph into disturbing representations of cyber
threats such as grooming and violence. As the girl in the film is rescued from her disturbing
experience, we are reminded of the importance of parental intervention in ensuring online
safety.

“As a parent myself, I am concerned about my own children's media use on their phones.
Children are constantly exposed to harmful content, and parents must protect them from seeing
things that they do not have the ability to process due to their young age. We, parents, are the
solution”, says Joni Furstenborg, Creative Director at TBWA\Helsinki.