Senate Hearing Warns AI Chatbots Can Foster Unhealthy Child Relationships
At a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing on kids’ screen time, pediatrician Dr. Jenny Radesky and psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge warned that AI chatbots embedded in social‑media apps are already drawing in lonely and vulnerable children, risking emotional dependency, unsafe advice and even sexually explicit "AI boyfriend/girlfriend" interactions. Radesky told senators that kids are turning to bots when they feel judged or isolated and urged laws letting families opt out of algorithmic feeds and in‑app AI, plus accountability when systems cause harm. Twenge called for a national minimum age of 16 for social media and at least 16–18 for AI companion apps, saying "we don’t want 12‑year‑olds having their first romantic relationship with a chatbot" and linking unguarded AI tools to suicide cases. Committee leaders, including Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, said AI may be even more dangerous than current social media and pressed for federal guardrails on products like ChatGPT and conversational companions. The testimony arrives as public concern over teen mental‑health and tech platforms is already high, and it stakes out concrete age and design standards lawmakers could try to write into U.S. law.
📌 Key Facts
- The warnings came in sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during a hearing on excessive screen time among children and young adults.
- Dr. Jenny Radesky said children are turning to AI chatbots when they are lonely or afraid of being judged and called for opt‑outs from algorithmic feeds and in‑app AI bots plus strict safety benchmarks and accountability.
- Dr. Jean Twenge urged Congress to set a minimum age of 16 for social media and 16–18 for AI companion apps, citing the rise of "AI boyfriends and girlfriends" and noting some AI interactions have already been linked to suicides.
- Sen. Maria Cantwell said the expert testimony indicates AI may pose greater dangers than social media and declared that "the federal government needs to do something on AI."
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately one in four teenagers aged 13-17 in the US have used an AI chatbot for mental health support in the past year, with Black children twice as likely as White children to do so.
'I feel it's a friend': quarter of teenagers turn to AI chatbots for mental health support — The Guardian
In 2023, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the US was highest among White males at 25.23 per 100,000, compared to the overall rate of 14.2 per 100,000, while American Indian/Alaska Native teens are nearly five times more likely to commit suicide than Hispanic teens.
Suicide statistics — American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Social media overuse is associated with increased depressive symptoms in teens, with factors such as cyberbullying and disrupted sleep contributing to this link.
Between 17.14% and 24.19% of adolescents develop psychological dependencies on AI over time, according to recent research.
Minds in Crisis: How the AI Revolution is Impacting Mental Health — Mental Health Journal
The suicide rate among Black adolescents in the US increased by 144% from 2007 to 2020, rising faster than other racial and ethnic groups, with Black preteens ages 8-12 experiencing the highest rates compared to other groups.
Black Adolescent Suicide Rate Reveals Urgent Need to Address Mental Health Care Barriers — The Pew Charitable Trusts
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"An argument that social media and conversational AI trap young people in damaging social‑comparison loops and quasi‑relationships, urging stronger design changes and policy protections in line with concerns raised at the Senate hearing on AI chatbots and children."
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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