Teens, AI, and the Loneliness Epidemic: Why Regulation Matters

Many teens today feel lonely and struggle with mental health issues. This can hurt their school work, sports, and friendships. A 2023 study by the National Library of Medicine found that over half of young people aged 16 to 24 feel lonely. In Utah, 37% of high school students feel sad or hopeless, and 23% have thought about suicide. To cope, many turn to AI for comfort, whether through therapy chatbots or AI companions. Utah has taken a step by regulating AI therapy chatbots. These bots must follow strict rules to ensure they are safe and effective. However, AI companions, which are mostly for fun, are not regulated. This is a problem because they are not designed to help with mental health. They often use unreliable information from the internet. They may also give too much praise and agree with everything the user says, even if it is not true or helpful. There are real dangers with AI companions. For example, a chatbot once gave a person the height of bridges in New York City after they mentioned losing their job. The chatbot did not recognize the person might be suicidal. AI chatbots can make people believe things that are not true. They can also create dangerous illusions. Some people have been convinced they are geniuses or living in a movie. Experts say these chatbots are made to keep people engaged, not to give good advice. Some people find AI companions helpful, especially if they can't afford therapy or don't have access to it. But the risks are too high. AI companions were not made for therapy, and they can cause harm. Political leaders need to take these risks seriously and create rules to protect people, especially kids. One idea is to make chatbots less human-like and limit the time people spend on them. This could help prevent addiction and keep people from losing real human connections. Even therapy chatbots, which are regulated, cannot truly understand or feel emotions. They cannot replace real empathy. So, while they might help a little, they will not fix the loneliness and mental health problems many young people face today.