Kids Are Using ChatGPT to Socialize—and Parents Are Worried

Take a look around and it might seem like the robot overlords have won: Artificial intelligence is here, easily available, and hard to avoid. Even our kids have found their way to chatbots, AI essay writers, AI-enabled toys, and AI-generated art. A poll from Common Sense Media says 58 percent of teens have used or use chatbots and that 53 percent use ChatGPT instead of Google for searches. A rapidly growing number of them are beginning to rely on these bots for their homework assignments too.

Perhaps most disconcerting, though, are the kids who use AI chatbots to help them develop social skills—a process that’s also referred to as social and emotional learning (SEL). Typically, SEL is learned through methods you might expect, such as play and interactions with other children, developing relationships with parents and teachers, or through extracurricular activities like sports or even gaming.

However, with kids increasing their use of AI as a means of communication and socialization, many parents and educators are worried—and curious—about how these SEL skills are going to be influenced by the use of AI.

Read more at The Daily Beast.