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A new addiction is quietly spreading among teenagers.
They are no longer just doom scrolling social media. They are increasingly locked into conversations with AI chatbots that appear to be infinitely knowledgeable, collaborative, and constantly validating. And they have a hard time cutting it off.
According to Pew Research Center, about half of U.S. teens now use chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Character.AI for schoolwork, information, or just entertainment.
Meanwhile, growing evidence suggests that teens are using chatbots in place of real-life friendships and relationships, a pattern associated with addiction.
Does this sound like a painfully familiar story? That’s because it is. Let’s zoom out a little.
When Australia became the first country to legally enforce a social media ban for teens in December, it was set to be piloted in the rest of the world. This prompted several governments from Britain to Spain, France, Greece and Canada to follow suit in the coming months. Meanwhile, state-level bans are gaining momentum in the U.S.
But as part of a generation that grew up amid the chaos of social media, I worry that we’re 15 years too late. And as this new, shiny technology in the form of AI and chatbots becomes more prevalent, the experts I spoke to are calling it déjà vu.
“It’s right to use social media as a case study for things that we don’t want to repeat. So it’s kind of like: Fooled once, shame on you, fooled twice, shame on you,” Caitlin Reger, associate professor of digital humanities at University College London, told CNBC.
Regehr said governments have spent years catching up on social media regulation, only to end up repeating the same mistakes by putting untested AI products in the hands of children.
Is regulation insufficient?
Earlier this year, the following companies MetaFacebook, Instagram, Threads owner, and googleYouTube has been found at fault for failing to properly warn users about the dangers of using its platform, from addictive infinite scrolling to body dysmorphic disorder.
However, despite the obvious dangers of AI chatbots, most of the above laws surprisingly make little mention of AI chatbots.
So far, Britain’s social media ban for teens briefly mentions restricting AI “romantic companion” chatbots designed to facilitate sexual relationships and role-play with users to those under 18. The US House of Representatives recently passed the KIDS Act, which would limit interactions between AI chatbots and children, but it still awaits Senate approval.
Regel pointed out that much of the legislation, particularly in the UK, remains narrow and only touches on some of the most extreme harms, and still ignores how chatbots contribute to emotional and social dependence and cognitive decline more broadly.
Sonia Livingstone, a professor at the London School of Economics who specializes in children’s digital rights and online safety, agreed that legislation is not moving fast enough.
“We don’t know if the safety of AI is being ignored, but it’s clear that investment in AI is a priority, and regulation seems to be seen as stifling innovation rather than providing a commercially productive route to reliable products,” Livingston said.
Days before announcing a landmark social media ban for under-16s, the UK government defended its multibillion-dollar AI investment at London Tech Week, positioning the UK as an AI superpower.
Despite AI safety and child protection being topics dominating the headlines, the government once again appears to be missing out on where the real risks lie.
Regel says: “We’ve seen a generation that grew up on social media. Do we want social media again?”
news
Elon Musk’s space x joined the Nasdaq 100 Index on Tuesday, less than a month after the stock market debut on June 12th.
micron The company announced billions of dollars more in chip manufacturing investments to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and plans to accelerate spending in the country through 2035.
Samsung-backed chipmaker Rebellions is aiming for an initial public offering in South Korea in the first or second quarter of next year, its CEO exclusively told CNBC’s Arjun Karpal on Wednesday.
china alibaba CNBC confirmed on Monday that Anthropic has banned its employees from using AI tools at work starting July 10, citing concerns that the US company poses a backdoor security risk.
SK Hynixthe $1 trillion chipmaker and South Korea’s second most valuable company after Samsung, is scheduled to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Friday.
This week’s chart
Eighteen months after the (admittedly temporary) market shock caused by DeepSeek, Chinese AI models are starting to gain traction in American companies.
The new release from the China-based company narrows the performance gap with its leading U.S. rival, while keeping royalties significantly lower.
And as adoption increases in Western countries, U.S. lawmakers are increasingly considering ways to curb the increase.
— Kai Nicole Schwartz, reporter
