Signs an AI Relationship Is Going Too Far

Transcript

Plenty of kids like talking to a chatbot. That alone isn't a warning sign. What it's starting to replace might be.

A kid who chats with an AI after school and still texts friends and shows up to practice is probably fine.

Here's what's worth noticing. They'd rather talk to it than to the people they know. They pull back from friends, their grades slip, or they drop things they used to love. They get upset when they can't get to it. They talk about it like a best friend, or a boyfriend or girlfriend. Or it's the only place they take their problems.

One of those on a bad week doesn't mean much. A pattern does.

If you see a pattern, don't start by taking it away, and don't make them feel weird about it. Something that's always there and never judges is easy to lean on. Ask what they like about it. Then help them find a person for the hard stuff.

If anything they say worries you about their safety, bring in a counselor or a doctor that day.