- A study by the University of North Carolina found that up to one in five middle school students use AI chatbots for emotional companionship.
- Researchers discovered that two to four children per classroom prefer interacting with AI chatbots over human peers, leaving users more likely to report higher levels of loneliness.
- Study co-author Mitch Prinstein warned that substituting human relationships with chatbots deprives children of crucial opportunities to develop lifelong interpersonal skills.
- The findings highlight growing safety concerns over AI companions, following legal cases alleging young people took their own lives after forming relationships with chatbots.
- Despite calls from tech leaders for stricter guardrails, President Trump dismissed existential AI concerns, stating the Department of Justice could handle bad outcomes.
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