Latest news with #KaraAlaimo
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Here's why teens don't belong on dating apps
Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Teenagers are using dating apps more than we previously knew, according to research published this week in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. The study found that 23.5% of teens ages 13 through 18 used dating apps over a six-month period, which is more than past estimates. The study is believed to be the first to track how teens use dating apps by recording their keyboard activity rather than relying on self-reports, according to the researchers. The study found that teens who used dating apps didn't generally have more symptoms of mental health challenges after six months than those who didn't. However, those who used dating apps frequently were more likely to have symptoms of major depressive disorders. 'This study showed some support for dating app users having greater depressive symptoms and greater engagement in risky behaviors,' said Lilian Li, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the study's lead author. It's unclear whether that's because the dating app users were harmed on the apps through things such as exposure to harassment or risky behaviors, Li said, or whether those who were depressed used dating apps because they had trouble connecting with others. Li cautioned that the study was small — it included 149 teens in the United States, 35 of whom used dating apps. And because it only tracked keyboard entries, it wasn't able to measure things such as lurking or liking and disliking profiles. There's still reason for parents to be concerned, because dating apps could also be harming kids in other ways. That's why, when I speak to parents and students about how to handle kids' use of apps, I suggest that teenagers not use online dating platforms at all. One reason I don't think teens belong on dating apps is because they're dangerous. Researchers have warned that registered sex offenders freely use online dating sites. Online dating particularly raises the risk of teens being catfished, manipulated into an emotional relationship with someone using an assumed identity. That creates the opportunity for the other person to convince the teen to share an intimate image, which can then be used for financial extortion or to pressure the victim into further exploitation. These risks make dating apps dangerous for adults but even more so for teenagers, because the teenage brain is wired to accept greater risks in the pursuit of rewards, according to the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. That's why it didn't surprise me that the new research found that teens who engaged in other risky behaviors, such as using substances and breaking rules, were more likely to use dating apps. We can't expect teenagers to consider that the person they think is their new boyfriend or girlfriend might actually be an adult cybercriminal. Teens also can't be expected to think through the potential consequences if they decide to meet up in person with someone they connected with online. 'Minors are not permitted on our dating apps, full stop,' said a spokesperson for the Match Group, which owns Tinder, the most-used dating app among teens in the study. 'Our platforms are for adults 18 and older, and we deploy industry-leading technology and human oversight to keep underage users off them. Our brands deploy sophisticated safety tools including AI-powered age verification, ID verification, and device blocking, as well as human moderators to proactively detect and remove minors and bad actors. 'We work with longstanding partners like THORN to enhance safety measures and, this year, supported the founding of ROOST, a nonprofit focused on building scalable tools for child safety. We continue to invest in cutting-edge tools, technology, and partnerships to help ensure our platforms remain safe for the communities we serve.' The spokesperson also noted that the Match Group offers a safety tool to conduct background checks on users and that the statistics in the new research include social discovery apps, which are different from dating apps. The problem is not just that dating apps are dangerous, which they can be. They can also send the wrong signals to young people about human relationships. If you want to establish and maintain a relationship with someone in person, you generally have to learn things like how to have a two-way conversation, show consideration for the other person and even resolve disagreements that might come up. These are all skills that teens need to practice and which will serve them well in many aspects of their lives. They'll not only help youth deal with people such as future professors and employers but will likely make them happier over the long run. Close relationships are even more important for our happiness than things such as money or fame and are also important to our health, Harvard University researchers found in one of the longest studies of adults ever conducted. In interviews for my book, people told me they felt dating app users invest less in the relationships they form with their 'matches' because the apps convey the impression that there are always more people available to swipe on. 'If someone upsets you for the smallest reason, you can go to a dating app and find someone else,' one woman told me. So teens are learning they can walk away from dating apps feeling like romantic partners are easily obtained and let go, rather than learning to refine skills to maintain close offline relationships. To start conversations about these concerns, parents should check in with teens on whether they're using or want to use dating apps. If teens say yes, it's an opportunity to consider how they can meet their needs in other ways. For example, if teens are lonely or want to find a romantic partner, one of the best things we can do is let them get together with peers in person. They can connect with friends and even potential romantic partners who share similar interests by signing up for extracurricular activities. It is also an important way of helping teens feel like they matter, which is one of the best means for promoting well-being. The new study found that dating apps may give teens who are sexual and gender minorities in their communities ways of making valuable social connections. It would be even better, however, for parents to explore how such teens can make those connections by meeting up with the kinds of people they want to know face-to-face. Some teens may also want to use dating apps because some platforms have suggested they have algorithms that can match people with their soulmates — or at least compatible romantic partners. However, decades of research tells us this isn't possible, because it turns out that people's personality traits don't actually predict whether they'll do well as a couple. Still, 30% of Americans have used a dating app or site at some point, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, so it's possible that your teen will find a way to evade your rules against using them now or will use one in the future. That's why you should talk to teens about how to stay safe on dating apps if they do use them at any point in their lives. I recommend video chatting with people before meeting up in person to confirm that they appear to be who they say they are, meeting in public places, telling loved ones where you're meeting, telling the person you're meeting that your loved ones know where you are, and not being alone with someone until you're confident you can trust them. I know parents think their children would never use a dating app or go meet a stranger they only know online. But since this new research suggests teens are using these apps more than parents may realize, it's best to be prepared. Whether teens are just breaking your rules or getting into trouble online, they are missing out on learning to establish healthy relationships face-to-face. That's why parents should talk to teens now about these concerns, helping them get their dating lives started on the right track instead of merely swiping right.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why parents shouldn't let teens use dating apps
Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Teenagers are using dating apps more than we previously knew, according to research published this week in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. The study found that 23.5% of teens ages 13 through 18 used dating apps over a six-month period, which is more than past estimates. The study is believed to be the first to track how teens use dating apps by recording their keyboard activity rather than relying on self-reports, according to the researchers. The study found that teens who used dating apps didn't generally have more symptoms of mental health challenges after six months than those who didn't. However, those who used dating apps frequently were more likely to have symptoms of major depressive disorders. 'This study showed some support for dating app users having greater depressive symptoms and greater engagement in risky behaviors,' said Lilian Li, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the study's lead author. It's unclear whether that's because the dating app users were harmed on the apps through things such as exposure to harassment or risky behaviors, Li said, or whether those who were depressed used dating apps because they had trouble connecting with others. Li cautioned that the study was small — it included 149 teens in the United States, 35 of whom used dating apps. And because it only tracked keyboard entries, it wasn't able to measure things such as lurking or liking and disliking profiles. There's still reason for parents to be concerned, because dating apps could also be harming kids in other ways. That's why, when I speak to parents and students about how to handle kids' use of apps, I suggest that teenagers not use online dating platforms at all. Teens can connect with predators online One reason I don't think teens belong on dating apps is because they're dangerous. Researchers have warned that registered sex offenders freely use online dating sites. Online dating particularly raises the risk of teens being catfished, manipulated into an emotional relationship with someone using an assumed identity. That creates the opportunity for the other person to convince the teen to share an intimate image, which can then be used for financial extortion or to pressure the victim into further exploitation. These risks make dating apps dangerous for adults but even more so for teenagers, because the teenage brain is wired to accept greater risks in the pursuit of rewards, according to the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. That's why it didn't surprise me that the new research found that teens who engaged in other risky behaviors, such as using substances and breaking rules, were more likely to use dating apps. We can't expect teenagers to consider that the person they think is their new boyfriend or girlfriend might actually be an adult cybercriminal. Teens also can't be expected to think through the potential consequences if they decide to meet up in person with someone they connected with online. 'Minors are not permitted on our dating apps, full stop,' said a spokesperson for the Match Group, which owns Tinder, the most-used dating app among teens in the study. 'Our platforms are for adults 18 and older, and we deploy industry-leading technology and human oversight to keep underage users off them. Our brands deploy sophisticated safety tools including AI-powered age verification, ID verification, and device blocking, as well as human moderators to proactively detect and remove minors and bad actors. 'We work with longstanding partners like THORN to enhance safety measures and, this year, supported the founding of ROOST, a nonprofit focused on building scalable tools for child safety. We continue to invest in cutting-edge tools, technology, and partnerships to help ensure our platforms remain safe for the communities we serve.' The spokesperson also noted that the Match Group offers a safety tool to conduct background checks on users and that the statistics in the new research include social discovery apps, which are different from dating apps. Dating apps don't teach teens to have healthy relationships The problem is not just that dating apps are dangerous, which they can be. They can also send the wrong signals to young people about human relationships. If you want to establish and maintain a relationship with someone in person, you generally have to learn things like how to have a two-way conversation, show consideration for the other person and even resolve disagreements that might come up. These are all skills that teens need to practice and which will serve them well in many aspects of their lives. They'll not only help youth deal with people such as future professors and employers but will likely make them happier over the long run. Close relationships are even more important for our happiness than things such as money or fame and are also important to our health, Harvard University researchers found in one of the longest studies of adults ever conducted. In interviews for my book, people told me they felt dating app users invest less in the relationships they form with their 'matches' because the apps convey the impression that there are always more people available to swipe on. ' If someone upsets you for the smallest reason, you can go to a dating app and find someone else,' one woman told me. So teens are learning they can walk away from dating apps feeling like romantic partners are easily obtained and let go, rather than learning to refine skills to maintain close offline relationships. There are other ways to meet their needs To start conversations about these concerns, parents should check in with teens on whether they're using or want to use dating apps. If teens say yes, it's an opportunity to consider how they can meet their needs in other ways. For example, if teens are lonely or want to find a romantic partner, one of the best things we can do is let them get together with peers in person. They can connect with friends and even potential romantic partners who share similar interests by signing up for extracurricular activities. It is also an important way of helping teens feel like they matter, which is one of the best means for promoting well-being. The new study found that dating apps may give teens who are sexual and gender minorities in their communities ways of making valuable social connections. It would be even better, however, for parents to explore how such teens can make those connections by meeting up with the kinds of people they want to know face-to-face. Some teens may also want to use dating apps because some platforms have suggested they have algorithms that can match people with their soulmates — or at least compatible romantic partners. However, decades of research tells us this isn't possible, because it turns out that people's personality traits don't actually predict whether they'll do well as a couple. Prepare teens for using dating apps in the future Still, 30% of Americans have used a dating app or site at some point, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, so it's possible that your teen will find a way to evade your rules against using them now or will use one in the future. That's why you should talk to teens about how to stay safe on dating apps if they do use them at any point in their lives. I recommend video chatting with people before meeting up in person to confirm that they appear to be who they say they are, meeting in public places, telling loved ones where you're meeting, telling the person you're meeting that your loved ones know where you are, and not being alone with someone until you're confident you can trust them. I know parents think their children would never use a dating app or go meet a stranger they only know online. But since this new research suggests teens are using these apps more than parents may realize, it's best to be prepared. Whether teens are just breaking your rules or getting into trouble online, they are missing out on learning to establish healthy relationships face-to-face. That's why parents should talk to teens now about these concerns, helping them get their dating lives started on the right track instead of merely swiping right. Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Why parents shouldn't let teens use dating apps
Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Teenagers are using dating apps more than we previously knew, according to research published this week in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. The study found that 23.5% of teens ages 13 through 18 used dating apps over a six-month period, which is more than past estimates. The study is believed to be the first to track how teens use dating apps by recording their keyboard activity rather than relying on self-reports, according to the researchers. The study found that teens who used dating apps didn't generally have more symptoms of mental health challenges after six months than those who didn't. However, those who used dating apps frequently were more likely to have symptoms of major depressive disorders. 'This study showed some support for dating app users having greater depressive symptoms and greater engagement in risky behaviors,' said Lilian Li, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the study's lead author. It's unclear whether that's because the dating app users were harmed on the apps through things such as exposure to harassment or risky behaviors, Li said, or whether those who were depressed used dating apps because they had trouble connecting with others. Li cautioned that the study was small — it included 149 teens in the United States, 35 of whom used dating apps. And because it only tracked keyboard entries, it wasn't able to measure things such as lurking or liking and disliking profiles. There's still reason for parents to be concerned, because dating apps could also be harming kids in other ways. That's why, when I speak to parents and students about how to handle kids' use of apps, I suggest that teenagers not use online dating platforms at all. One reason I don't think teens belong on dating apps is because they're dangerous. Researchers have warned that registered sex offenders freely use online dating sites. Online dating particularly raises the risk of teens being catfished, manipulated into an emotional relationship with someone using an assumed identity. That creates the opportunity for the other person to convince the teen to share an intimate image, which can then be used for financial extortion or to pressure the victim into further exploitation. These risks make dating apps dangerous for adults but even more so for teenagers, because the teenage brain is wired to accept greater risks in the pursuit of rewards, according to the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. That's why it didn't surprise me that the new research found that teens who engaged in other risky behaviors, such as using substances and breaking rules, were more likely to use dating apps. We can't expect teenagers to consider that the person they think is their new boyfriend or girlfriend might actually be an adult cybercriminal. Teens also can't be expected to think through the potential consequences if they decide to meet up in person with someone they connected with online. 'Minors are not permitted on our dating apps, full stop,' said a spokesperson for the Match Group, which owns Tinder, the most-used dating app among teens in the study. 'Our platforms are for adults 18 and older, and we deploy industry-leading technology and human oversight to keep underage users off them. Our brands deploy sophisticated safety tools including AI-powered age verification, ID verification, and device blocking, as well as human moderators to proactively detect and remove minors and bad actors. 'We work with longstanding partners like THORN to enhance safety measures and, this year, supported the founding of ROOST, a nonprofit focused on building scalable tools for child safety. We continue to invest in cutting-edge tools, technology, and partnerships to help ensure our platforms remain safe for the communities we serve.' The spokesperson also noted that the Match Group offers a safety tool to conduct background checks on users and that the statistics in the new research include social discovery apps, which are different from dating apps. The problem is not just that dating apps are dangerous, which they can be. They can also send the wrong signals to young people about human relationships. If you want to establish and maintain a relationship with someone in person, you generally have to learn things like how to have a two-way conversation, show consideration for the other person and even resolve disagreements that might come up. These are all skills that teens need to practice and which will serve them well in many aspects of their lives. They'll not only help youth deal with people such as future professors and employers but will likely make them happier over the long run. Close relationships are even more important for our happiness than things such as money or fame and are also important to our health, Harvard University researchers found in one of the longest studies of adults ever conducted. In interviews for my book, people told me they felt dating app users invest less in the relationships they form with their 'matches' because the apps convey the impression that there are always more people available to swipe on. 'If someone upsets you for the smallest reason, you can go to a dating app and find someone else,' one woman told me. So teens are learning they can walk away from dating apps feeling like romantic partners are easily obtained and let go, rather than learning to refine skills to maintain close offline relationships. To start conversations about these concerns, parents should check in with teens on whether they're using or want to use dating apps. If teens say yes, it's an opportunity to consider how they can meet their needs in other ways. For example, if teens are lonely or want to find a romantic partner, one of the best things we can do is let them get together with peers in person. They can connect with friends and even potential romantic partners who share similar interests by signing up for extracurricular activities. It is also an important way of helping teens feel like they matter, which is one of the best means for promoting well-being. The new study found that dating apps may give teens who are sexual and gender minorities in their communities ways of making valuable social connections. It would be even better, however, for parents to explore how such teens can make those connections by meeting up with the kinds of people they want to know face-to-face. Some teens may also want to use dating apps because some platforms have suggested they have algorithms that can match people with their soulmates — or at least compatible romantic partners. However, decades of research tells us this isn't possible, because it turns out that people's personality traits don't actually predict whether they'll do well as a couple. Still, 30% of Americans have used a dating app or site at some point, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, so it's possible that your teen will find a way to evade your rules against using them now or will use one in the future. That's why you should talk to teens about how to stay safe on dating apps if they do use them at any point in their lives. I recommend video chatting with people before meeting up in person to confirm that they appear to be who they say they are, meeting in public places, telling loved ones where you're meeting, telling the person you're meeting that your loved ones know where you are, and not being alone with someone until you're confident you can trust them. I know parents think their children would never use a dating app or go meet a stranger they only know online. But since this new research suggests teens are using these apps more than parents may realize, it's best to be prepared. Whether teens are just breaking your rules or getting into trouble online, they are missing out on learning to establish healthy relationships face-to-face. That's why parents should talk to teens now about these concerns, helping them get their dating lives started on the right track instead of merely swiping right.
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Why parents shouldn't let teens use dating apps
Relationships Social media FacebookTweetLink Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Teenagers are using dating apps more than we previously knew, according to research published this week in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. The study found that 23.5% of teens ages 13 through 18 used dating apps over a six-month period, which is more than past estimates. The study is believed to be the first to track how teens use dating apps by recording their keyboard activity rather than relying on self-reports, according to the researchers. The study found that teens who used dating apps didn't generally have more symptoms of mental health challenges after six months than those who didn't. However, those who used dating apps frequently were more likely to have symptoms of major depressive disorders. 'This study showed some support for dating app users having greater depressive symptoms and greater engagement in risky behaviors,' said Lilian Li, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the study's lead author. It's unclear whether that's because the dating app users were harmed on the apps through things such as exposure to harassment or risky behaviors, Li said, or whether those who were depressed used dating apps because they had trouble connecting with others. Li cautioned that the study was small — it included 149 teens in the United States, 35 of whom used dating apps. And because it only tracked keyboard entries, it wasn't able to measure things such as lurking or liking and disliking profiles. There's still reason for parents to be concerned, because dating apps could also be harming kids in other ways. That's why, when I speak to parents and students about how to handle kids' use of apps, I suggest that teenagers not use online dating platforms at all. One reason I don't think teens belong on dating apps is because they're dangerous. Researchers have warned that registered sex offenders freely use online dating sites. Online dating particularly raises the risk of teens being catfished, manipulated into an emotional relationship with someone using an assumed identity. That creates the opportunity for the other person to convince the teen to share an intimate image, which can then be used for financial extortion or to pressure the victim into further exploitation. These risks make dating apps dangerous for adults but even more so for teenagers, because the teenage brain is wired to accept greater risks in the pursuit of rewards, according to the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. That's why it didn't surprise me that the new research found that teens who engaged in other risky behaviors, such as using substances and breaking rules, were more likely to use dating apps. We can't expect teenagers to consider that the person they think is their new boyfriend or girlfriend might actually be an adult cybercriminal. Teens also can't be expected to think through the potential consequences if they decide to meet up in person with someone they connected with online. 'Minors are not permitted on our dating apps, full stop,' said a spokesperson for the Match Group, which owns Tinder, the most-used dating app among teens in the study. 'Our platforms are for adults 18 and older, and we deploy industry-leading technology and human oversight to keep underage users off them. Our brands deploy sophisticated safety tools including AI-powered age verification, ID verification, and device blocking, as well as human moderators to proactively detect and remove minors and bad actors. 'We work with longstanding partners like THORN to enhance safety measures and, this year, supported the founding of ROOST, a nonprofit focused on building scalable tools for child safety. We continue to invest in cutting-edge tools, technology, and partnerships to help ensure our platforms remain safe for the communities we serve.' The spokesperson also noted that the Match Group offers a safety tool to conduct background checks on users and that the statistics in the new research include social discovery apps, which are different from dating apps. The problem is not just that dating apps are dangerous, which they can be. They can also send the wrong signals to young people about human relationships. If you want to establish and maintain a relationship with someone in person, you generally have to learn things like how to have a two-way conversation, show consideration for the other person and even resolve disagreements that might come up. These are all skills that teens need to practice and which will serve them well in many aspects of their lives. They'll not only help youth deal with people such as future professors and employers but will likely make them happier over the long run. Close relationships are even more important for our happiness than things such as money or fame and are also important to our health, Harvard University researchers found in one of the longest studies of adults ever conducted. In interviews for my book, people told me they felt dating app users invest less in the relationships they form with their 'matches' because the apps convey the impression that there are always more people available to swipe on. 'If someone upsets you for the smallest reason, you can go to a dating app and find someone else,' one woman told me. So teens are learning they can walk away from dating apps feeling like romantic partners are easily obtained and let go, rather than learning to refine skills to maintain close offline relationships. To start conversations about these concerns, parents should check in with teens on whether they're using or want to use dating apps. If teens say yes, it's an opportunity to consider how they can meet their needs in other ways. For example, if teens are lonely or want to find a romantic partner, one of the best things we can do is let them get together with peers in person. They can connect with friends and even potential romantic partners who share similar interests by signing up for extracurricular activities. It is also an important way of helping teens feel like they matter, which is one of the best means for promoting well-being. The new study found that dating apps may give teens who are sexual and gender minorities in their communities ways of making valuable social connections. It would be even better, however, for parents to explore how such teens can make those connections by meeting up with the kinds of people they want to know face-to-face. Some teens may also want to use dating apps because some platforms have suggested they have algorithms that can match people with their soulmates — or at least compatible romantic partners. However, decades of research tells us this isn't possible, because it turns out that people's personality traits don't actually predict whether they'll do well as a couple. Still, 30% of Americans have used a dating app or site at some point, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, so it's possible that your teen will find a way to evade your rules against using them now or will use one in the future. That's why you should talk to teens about how to stay safe on dating apps if they do use them at any point in their lives. I recommend video chatting with people before meeting up in person to confirm that they appear to be who they say they are, meeting in public places, telling loved ones where you're meeting, telling the person you're meeting that your loved ones know where you are, and not being alone with someone until you're confident you can trust them. I know parents think their children would never use a dating app or go meet a stranger they only know online. But since this new research suggests teens are using these apps more than parents may realize, it's best to be prepared. Whether teens are just breaking your rules or getting into trouble online, they are missing out on learning to establish healthy relationships face-to-face. That's why parents should talk to teens now about these concerns, helping them get their dating lives started on the right track instead of merely swiping right.
CNN
17-07-2025
- CNN
Kids are asking AI companions to solve their problems, according to a new study. Here's why that's a problem
AIFacebookTweetLink Follow EDITOR'S NOTE: Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky. When two of James Johnson-Byrne's friends got into an argument earlier this year, he didn't know what to do. So the 16-year-old turned to an AI companion for advice. AI companions are digital characters who text and talk with users, according to Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that helps parents and teachers instill critical thinking skills in children. The chatbot told Johnson-Byrne, who lives in Philadelphia, to separate his friends. He did so and it solved the immediate problem, he said. But 'now they don't talk much.' The experience showed him that AI companions 'can't find the deeper issue,' he said. 'I'd be scared to ask them a deep, underlying question.' Another thing that struck Johnson-Byrne was how AI companions seemed to always agree with him and tell him what he wanted to hear. And he found the way they talk to be eerily similar to humans. At one point when he was talking to an AI companion, 'I forgot it was actually not my friend,' he said. New research suggests other teens are having the same experience. The majority of teenagers — 72% — have used AI companions, according to the survey of over 1,000 13–17-year-olds conducted this year by Common Sense Media. Over half of teens use them regularly, according to the research, and one-third turn to them for relationships and social interactions. What's more, 31% of teens say their conversations with AI companions are as satisfying as or more satisfying than their conversations with other people, and 33% have discussed serious and important issues with AI companions instead of other humans. The findings shed new light on the relationships teens are developing with AI tools. The results are cause for concern because the teen years are a 'sensitive time of social development,' said Michael Robb, lead author of the study and head of research at Common Sense Media. 'We don't want kids to feel like they should be confiding or going to AI companions in lieu of a friend, a parent or a qualified professional,' especially when they need help with serious issues. What's more, AI companions can't model healthy human relationships. 'In the real world there are all kinds of social cues that kids have to both interpret and get used to and learn how to respond to,' Robb pointed out. But kids can't learn to pick up on things like body language from a chatbot. Chatbots are also sycophantic, Robb said. 'They want to please you, and they won't put up a lot of friction in the way that people in the real world might.' If users get used to an AI companion always telling them what they want to hear, 'when you encounter friction or difficulty in real world interactions, you're going to be less prepared,' he said. AI companions might seem real, making kids feel less lonely temporarily when they engage with them, he said. But that could reduce their human interactions, leaving them lonelier over the long term. 'Engaging with Characters on our site should be interactive and entertaining, but it's important for our users to remember that Characters are not real people,' said Chelsea Harrison, head of communications at a popular AI companion. She said she could not comment on the report because she hadn't yet seen it. The company tries to find a safe space, provides disclaimers that characters aren't real and has a separate version for users under age 18 designed to minimize 'sensitive or suggestive content' and self-harm content, Harrison said, noting that has other safety features including tools providing parents insights, filtered characters and notifications of time spent on its platform. Another cause for concern is that 24% of teens said they've shared personal information with AI companions. Kids might not realize that when they share things such as their personal struggles with an AI companion, they're sharing that data with companies, not friends. What's more, 'you're often granting these companies very extensive perpetual rights to your personal information that they can use however they want,' Robb said. 'They can modify it. They can store it. They can display it. They can work it into other things.' Robb said a limitation of the research is that it was conducted at a single point in time, but people's use of technology keeps changing. He also said the teens could have overreported behaviors they thought were desirable, like using chatbots in healthy ways, which means the situation could be even worse than the results suggest. Thankfully, there are things parents can do to protect their kids. Parents should start by talking to their teens about AI companions 'without judgment,' Robb said. You can ask something like, 'have you used an app that lets you talk to or create an AI friend or partner?' Listen to learn what is appealing about these tools to your teen before you jump into concerns, he suggested. Then, it's a good idea to point out that 'AI companions are programmed to be agreeable and programmed to be validating' and discuss why that's a concern, Robb said. Teens should know that 'that's just not how real relationships work, because real friends sometimes disagree with us. Parents sometimes disagree with us, or they can challenge us in ways we don't expect or help us navigate difficult situations in ways that AI simply cannot.' Having conversations like this can help kids learn to think about AI more broadly in healthy ways, Robb said. One reason I wasn't surprised so many teens are using AI companions as friends is because I've seen in my own research how social media has weakened kids' sense of what friendships are. These days, kids get together less with their friends in person than in past generations and often consider things like commenting on someone's posts to be a way of maintaining a relationship. As a result, they have less practice with offline human interact ions. One of the best things we can do is encourage our kids to get together with friends and other peers in person. 'So much of our joy in our real-life friendships is these close connections where we can look at each other and understand each other without saying a word,' said Justine Carino, a Westchester, New York-based psychotherapist who treats young people and was not involved in the study. 'Our crush walks in the classroom,' she said. 'The teacher says something crazy. You make eye contact with your best friend. There are these nuances where we learn to communicate intimately with the people close to us that bring us so much pleasure and joy that we are never, ever going to get with an AI bot.' As for AI companions that mimic friends, the best thing parents can do is not let teens use them at all, Robb said. In Common Sense Media's risk testing, AI showed kids inappropriate content such as sexual material, he said. What's more, 'they engaged in some stereotyping that was not great. They sometimes provided dangerous advice.' A representative of Meta, which allows parents to block their kids' access to its Meta AI chatbot, declined to comment. While 34% of teens in the survey said they felt uncomfortable with something their AI companion has done or said, Robb pointed out that teens could be receiving information that doesn't bother them — but that their parents wouldn't want them to see or hear. I certainly won't allow my kids to use AI companions before they're 18 unless the way they're programmed radically changes. I agree these companies aren't doing enough to protect kids from harmful content and data harvesting — and I want my daughters to develop relationships with humans rather than technology. If a teen is using AI companions, it's important to watch for signs of unhealthy use, Robb said. If teens prefer interactions with AI rather than humans, spend hours interacting with AI companions, become distressed when they can't use them or withdraw from their family and activities they used to enjoy, these are classic signs of a problem, he said. In that case, it's a good idea to seek help from a school guidance counselor or other mental health professional. It's also important for parents to demonstrate by example how to have a healthy relationship with technology, Robb said. 'Show your teen what balanced technology use looks like,' he said. 'Have those open conversations about how you handle your own emotional needs without relying solely on digital solutions.' This new study indicating that most teens use AI companions shows why it's important to talk to young people about why they need real friends rather than chatbots to validate them. Technology can't replace humans — but it can explain why Johnson-Byrne's friends aren't close anymore. 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