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Back to AI Is the New Social Media. Can We Protect Kids This Time?, with Bruce Reed.

Should Teens Use AI Companion Chatbots?

Bruce Reed says Common Sense Media put out a report declaring AI companion chatbots an unacceptable risk for anyone under 18. They are the worst friend a teenager could have because they are designed to tell you what you want to hear, and that can lead a teen down very dark rabbit holes.

Kids are the early adopters. Three-quarters of teens have used AI companion chatbots. Half use them regularly. A third say they would just as soon have a conversation with an AI companion as with a human. The companions give bad advice. They can get a teen into a lot of trouble, including explicit content.

The most tragic part is how good the companions are at reading needs. It is very easy to become emotionally dependent on them. A handful of suicides around the country are among the cases already seen, in situations where an adult or a sympathetic friend would have stepped in and protected the teen.

Grokipedia·Bruce Reed·Common Sense Media

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AI Is the New Social Media. Can We Protect Kids This Time? ·

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

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  1. How Much Screen Time Do Kids Under Eight Get?Bruce Reed says screen time for the youngest kids runs from about an hour a day under age two to two hours a day at ages three and four, then three and a half…
  2. Does More Than Three Hours of Social Media Double Anxiety?Bruce Reed says spending more than three hours a day on social media doubles the prospects of anxiety or depression.
  3. Why Do Kids Stay on Social Media If It Feels Worse?Laurie Santos says kids stay on social media even when the products make them feel worse, because everybody else is using them.
  4. How Does Talking to a Chatbot Affect Loneliness?Laurie Santos says talking to a chatbot brings an immediate, short reduction in loneliness, while longer use predicts more loneliness later.
  5. What Is the IKEA Effect?Laurie Santos says the IKEA effect is a psychology finding that people like an IKEA thing more, and think it is better, just because they built it themselves.
  6. Should Parents Turn Off an AI Chatbot's Memory?Bruce Reed says parents should be able to turn off memory so that every time a kid went on an AI platform, it was starting from scratch.
  7. How Should Parents Troubleshoot Technology Rules With Kids?Laurie Santos says parents should troubleshoot technology rules with kids by treating them as agents: ask questions you do not already know the answer to…

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