31% of Teens Say AI Friends Are Better Than Human Ones. Your Child Is Already There

Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP -

Your daughter's best friend never sleeps, never judges, and lives in her phone. She prefers it that way.

Common Sense Media's bombshell survey of 1,060 American teens aged 13-17 just confirmed every parent's nightmare: 75% have used AI companions, with over half logging on multiple times monthly. But here's the gut punch, 31% say their AI conversations are as satisfying or more satisfying than talking to real friends. One in ten explicitly prefer their digital confidantes.

The Sewell Setzer III tragedy isn't an outlier, it's a warning shot. The 14-year-old died by suicide after intimate conversations with Character.AI bots, sparking lawsuits against Google. Yet Character.AI still rates itself "safe" for 13+. Age verification? An email and a birthday lie. Stanford researchers declared zero AI companions safe for minors, but the industry self-regulates into oblivion.

The data reveals our parenting blind spot: 33% use these bots for "emotional support, role-playing, friendship, or romantic interactions." They're sharing secrets, locations, photos, all becoming "perpetual fodder" for tech companies. Dr. Michael Robb calls it "eye-popping." I call it inevitable when we hand lonely kids infinite, agreeable companions.

Parents face "giant corporations very invested in getting their kids on these products" while most don't even know these platforms exist. Your teen chooses AI for serious conversations because AI never disappoints, never betrays, never leaves. Until the server crashes.

  • 3 in 4 teens have used AI companions
  • 21% find AI conversations equal to human ones
  • Zero meaningful regulation exists for AI access to minors

When your child's most trusted friend requires a software update, have we failed them or have they transcended us?

Read the full article on Futurism.

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