Latest / Escaping Digital Incarcerations Podcast with Leron Gaskins
Is Your Kid's Best Friend Actually An AI Chatbot? Here's Why
Mileva Repasky noticed her usually chipper sixth-grade daughter, Madelyn, growing moody and quiet. On the drive home one day, she finally found out why: Madelyn had been talking to "someone" online. It turned out to be a chatbot, not a person.
In this episode, I use a Wall Street Journal investigation by Julie Jargon as the jumping-off point for a conversation parents need to be having right now: a growing number of middle schoolers are choosing AI companions over real human friendship. A new study out of UNC found that 2 to 4 kids in every classroom now say they prefer talking to a chatbot…
The skinny
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