‘Dear AI, I’m sad’: Children confide in chatbots

AI replacing real friends? Parents alarmed

Bengaluru: Educators and parents are raising alarms over a growing trend of children confiding in artificial intelligence (AI) platforms for emotional support.

“At first, they approach AI for academic help, but gradually, as they get comfortable and begin engaging in casual conversations. Eventually, they start believing they can share anything, even person al feelings, and begin relying on it emotionally”, said Elizabeth George, an educator from Bengaluru who has observed this pattern among senior students.

The increasing use of AI chat bots by children to share private thoughts and emotions has sparked serious concerns about privacy, digital safety, and emotional well-being. Many students are reportedly engaging in deeply personal conversations with AI tools, discussing school issues, family conflicts, or peer problems, without any supervision.

“AI does not have real emotions or empathy, and therefore can not offer genuine guidance,” said teacher Vijaya Chitra. She warned that relying on chatbots for real world problems could confuse young minds further instead of helping them.

A concerned parent echoed similar fears. “This dependence destroys human connection and weakens relationships. Privacy is important, but it should exist within safe boundaries”, they said, emphasizing that children’s emotional and digital safety must come first.

“Talking to AI is different from talking to a real counsellor or teacher. AI lacks genuine empathy, body language, and the nuanced understanding needed for emotional support. Responses can be automatic and sometimes harmful, especially for vulnerable children”, warned Shamna, clinical psychologist.

She adds that while platforms like ASMI and Telemanas are mental health service chatbots that offer spaces for children to share feelings, other AI platforms have high risks of privacy breaches, data hacking, and exposure of sensitive information, making them a poor substitute for trained professionals or monitored support systems.

Digital safety perspective Cybersecurity experts are also sounding the alarm. “It’s like giving a child a weapon - perhaps even worse”, said Santhosh (name changed), a cybersecurity expert.

“Even adults overshare data with AI systems, unaware that it may be stored or repurposed elsewhere. For minors, this is even riskier because they lack the maturity to filter what they share”. He called for stricter age-based restrictions and regulations in India to protect children under 18 from unsupervised exposure to AI platforms.

“I’ve met parents who proudly say their seven-year-old handles smartphones better than they do - but that’s not a point of pride, it’s a warning sign”, he added. “Vulnerability can go both ways - a person can become aggressive or fall victim,” Santhosh cautioned.

Dependence on AI could make children increasingly vulnerable to emotional manipulation or online exploitation.