7/11/2026
Two days ago I read these words by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres:
"AI is impacting our children’s learning, their friendships, and how they view the world. And we are already seeing the cost:
Children deceived by machines posing as friends. Children steered toward self-harm. Children violated by abuse images made at the touch of a button. No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI."
Like all technologies before AI, television, smartphones, and social media, they all have the power to change human childhood. Also like all these technologies, there's no way that children can get away from it. Already children are using AI for homework, entertainment, and other activities.
Unlike earlier technologies, conversational AI can convincingly imitate human conversation and empathy. Younger children may therefore be more likely to perceive it as a real friend.
Childhood is a critical period for forming emotional attachments that lay the foundation for healthy relationships throughout life. If children spend too much time with AI companions without proper guidance, they may become emotionally dependent on them.
Young children may easily mistake an AI for a trustworthy friend. They often lack the maturity to distinguish good advice from poor advice or to recognize the limitations of AI. Once they begin to trust an AI companion, they may also be more willing to share highly personal information, putting their privacy and safety at risk.
The range of potential risks becomes much broader than many parents realize.
Ideally, companies design products with children's safety in mind. Profit never comes at the expense of child welfare. But we don't live in an ideal world.
I worry for parents everywhere, and that is not groundless. The risks are real, but as always, panic is not the answer.
What can parents do effectively? Here are a few practical things that they can try.
Don't let AI replace human relationships.
Use AI together with children rather than leaving them alone with it.
Teach children that AI is a tool created by humans, not a friend.
Carry one plenty of real life conversations—with parents, siblings, friends, grandparents, teachers.
Set age-appropriate boundaries on AI use.
Teach children to question what AI tells them, just as they would information from the internet.
Make sure children know they should tell a trusted adult if an AI conversation makes them uncomfortable or frightened.
Parents cannot shield children from every new technology, but they must be present with the children and provide something no machine can: love, guidance, judgment, and genuine human companionship. Children who grow up surrounded by caring relationships are far less likely to seek emotional substitutes elsewhere.
Like what I've been writing about, human well-being depends on real relationships. AI adds a new dimension to that timeless truth. The technology is new, but our deepest human needs—for family, belonging, emotional attachment, and authentic connection—have not changed. With the arrival of AI, parents can ensure that no AI companion ever replaces the warmth, guidance, and security that only a family can provide.
