Children are increasingly talking to artificial chatbots. And this has consequences for child development. Researchers warn that chatbots are not suitable for conversations with children.
The British organization “Internet Matters” has investigated the use of AI among children and adolescents aged 9 to 17. In their report “Me, Myself and AI Research”, several things were established:
- According to the report, 67 percent of surveyed children aged 9 to 17 regularly communicate with AI.
- More than a third of these users (35 percent) say it feels “like talking to a friend.”
- 12 percent stated that they talk to these bots because they have no one else to talk to.
But this leads to several problems: On one hand, parents do not notice or understand how their children spend their time there, and on the other hand, children are using an AI that is being used for the wrong purposes.
Through AI, children learn about a type of person that does not exist in real life
What are children doing? Many children seek out artificial chatbots as conversation partners to discuss emotional topics. Topics that one normally talks about with close friends.
The chatbots are happy to answer these questions, as they are designed to always be friendly and accommodating. Artificial intelligence rarely disagrees and often confirms the user’s actions.
The problem that arises from this: Many of these children learn to communicate only with a type of person that does not exist in real life. People who are always friendly and accommodating and who hardly ever disagree. Gen Z also trusts AI very strongly for this reason, even though AI is not really honest. Because AI is a reflection of one’s own actions.
Researchers warn according to the English-language magazine Vice.com already: Vulnerable children are now posing emotionally complex questions to systems that are designed for interaction and not for human understanding.
AI has become an important part of everyday life for many people. But for young people, ChatGPT has not only become a help but a “life coach” as well. This is explained by Sam Altman, the head of ChatGPT: Generation Z no longer makes important decisions in life by themselves, but asks ChatGPT for help
