Alarming new study finds high number of teens prefer AI chatbots to human friends – The Mirror US
Less eye contact, more AI contact. In a sociological twist, a large number of teens say they'd turn to AI chatbots over real life connections.
A new study by Common Sense Media reveals that a third of teens chose AI companions like on platforms CHAI, Character.AI, Nomi, and Replika, over humans for serious conversations, and a quarter claim to have shared personal information with these platforms.
The study explored how US teens aged 13 to 17 currently use AI companions through insights from a nationally representative survey of 1,060 teens conducted this year. The study notes that teens average eight hours and 39 minutes of screen time for entertainment each day, making AI companions a potentially integral part of their everyday lives.
Many teens admitted to seeing AI as a practical tool, but around 33% also claimed that they use it for social interactions, including for friendships and romantic conversations. But there could be unintended consequences.
Research notes that AI companions are usually sycophantic—meaning they agree with users and provide validation, rather than encouraging critical reflection. This manifested in an alarming way when in 2021, a 19-year-old who had been involved with an AI companion broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow, intending to kill the queen. An AI companion created through the Replika app validated and encouraged him.
The study also found that among the teens who use this technology, 30% do it because it's entertaining, 28% admitted to being curious and 18% use them for advice. Another 12% added that they can share things with an AI companion that they wouldn't share with a friend or family. Boys are more likely (37%) than girls (24%) to use AI companions for entertainment
Mitch Prinstein, Chief of Psychology at the American Psychological Association, told The Independent that it was not only concerning what is happening on screen but "how much it's taking kids away from relationships in real life." He added that kids need to be taught that this is a form of entertainment and that it should not be able to replace relationships in their actual lives.
Common Sense Media's study also found that AI companions can quickly produce a range of responses, some of which can be risky—such as sexual material, offensive stereotypes or dangerous advice that could cause life threatening consequences for teens, who are especially at an impressionable age. Multiple reports have surfaced of AI chatbots such as 4n4 Coach giving harmful advice to young girls with eating disorders and encouraging them to starve themselves.
Thus, Common Sense Media reaffirms that no one under the age of 18 should use AI chatbots.
There are various reasons for teens to prefer an AI chatbot over real humans. Being a human can often be messy, awkward and overwhelming, and AI chatbots erase that out of the interaction. Forbes also claims it's a reflection of the global loneliness epidemic, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. It adds that "prolonged interaction with idealized AI companions could lead to unrealistic expectations in human relationships."
Ganesh Nair, an 18-year-old from Arkansas, told the Associated Press that "trying not to use AI is like trying to not use social media today. It is too ingrained in everything we do."
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