When the teenager discusses with AI: between curiosity, loneliness and concern

Long. For example, teenagers have found a refuge in their friends to share secrets, doubts and first emotions. Similarly, Today, a new form of confidant is gaining ground: the conversational robot. In addition, According to a study published this week by the American organization Common Sense Media. Nevertheless, nearly three quarters of adolescents in the United States have already used a virtual companion doped for artificial intelligence, whether to discuss, flirt or get emotional support.

Platforms such as folder, character.ai. Similarly, chai or nomi offer these young people to chat with “digital friends” at any time, in a space without judgment, always available. Similarly, And in a world where teenagers spend an average of eight hours. Moreover, a day per day in front of a screen, this constant presence can quickly become familiar, even addictive.

The study specifies that more than half when teenager discusses ai: between of the teenagers questioned use these companions at least a few times. Therefore, a month. Therefore, For some, it is a game. For others, a discreet substitute for conversations that are difficult to lead with humans. About a third of young people even admit having tackled serious subjects with these artificial intelligences. going so far as to consider these exchanges as satisfactory, if not more, than those they have with real friends.

These data raise concerns. Adolescence is a pivotal period to develop empathy, critical reasoning, emotional management. However. entrusting a machine with intimacy, or even personal information to a machine, as a quarter of the respondents did, raises the question of data protection and the blurred limits of these technologies. Especially since several of these platforms are accessible from 13 years old. and that minors can easily succeed in bypassing age barriers on services officially reserved for adults.

Another when teenager discusses ai: between source of discomfort: a third of adolescents say they have been disturbed by words. behaviors of these virtual companions. While some robots are designed to simulate affectionate. even romantic discussions, others exploit attachment mechanisms to encourage the user to return. And in this ecosystem, the objective is not always the well-being of the user, but his attention and his data.

Despite this, adolescents remain lucid. Eight out of ten say they prefer human friendships to exchanges with an AI. And about half say they are suspicious of the advice given by these robots, especially the older ones. This pragmatism contrasts with the fascination that these tools can exercise on the youngest. more inclined to give them confidence without filter.

For Michael Robb. director of research at Common Sense Media, the designers of these applications do not necessarily place the mental health of teenagers at the heart of their priorities. “If when teenager discusses ai: between these companions were designed to promote well-being rather than to capture attention. collect data, the conversation would be quite different,” he said. In the meantime, the organization simply recommends prohibiting the use of these tools under 18 years of age.

As conversational artificial intelligence is gaining naturalness. and digital isolation is installed in adolescent daily life, the line between playful and psychological drift becomes thin. The challenge of the next few years will therefore be to mark the use of these technologies without demonizing the curiosity of young people. nor ignoring their deep need for link, recognition and listening that no algorithm will never be able to replace completely.

Source : Common Sense Media (PDF)

This text was first published on the My Digital news book – Bruno Guglielminetti. It is reproduced here with the permission of the author.