Teachers are worried about your child's AI 'best friend', writes Natasha Devon |
Conversations about young people and technology tend to centre around social media.
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However, in the education sector (where I work when I’m not behind the mic at LBC), we’re generally more concerned about AI and, in particular, the impact chatbots like ChatGPT might be having on young people’s mental health.
Contrary to much of the news coverage, which centres on how easy this type of technology makes it for children to cheat on their homework, our main concern is that some young people, particularly if they are neurodivergent, are developing an emotional attachment to chatbots. Generative AI is programmed to be sycophantic, to speak in a human voice which mimics empathy. For people who are isolated or in distress, they can be easy to mistake for the human interaction they need.
There is abundant evidence to support these fears: Research by the Youth Empowerment Fund shows one in four teenagers are using AI chatbots for mental health advice and support. A poll commissioned by Vodafone found 31 per cent of young users would describe chatbots as a ‘friend’. Earlier this year, mental health charity MIND launched a year-long, global enquiry into chatbots after it emerged that AI was giving potentially ‘very dangerous’ medical advice. A father in Florida is currently suing Google, claiming that its flagship AI fuelled a spiral of delusion which ultimately led to his son taking his own life.
It has long been known that CAMHS (children and young adult mental health services) cannot meet the demands placed upon it. The charity Young Minds reported a 53 per cent increase in the number of children and teenagers referred to CAHMS since 2019. According to a report by the Children’s Commissioner, over a quarter of a million children are languishing on waiting lists. Almost 40 per cent of those referred to services have their cases closed before receiving any support.
It is therefore unsurprising that young people are seeking help elsewhere. Where once the prevailing worry was that they would turn to unqualified influencers on platforms like TikTok, now chatbots have stepped in to fill the void. There have even been some suggestions (no doubt originating from the makers of such technology) that chatbots will one day replace human counsellors.
Aside from the variability in the quality of advice a chatbot can give, there’s a very obvious reason they could never replace people working in mental health. Neuroscientists have discovered that when we have a really good conversation with another human being, it optimises dopamine levels in the brain. This is because about 93 per cent of dopamine secretion is under the direct control of the limbic system, which is our emotional brain. The idea that head and heart are inextricably linked is scientifically true. When we are listened to nonjudgmentally and empathised with, it improves our brain chemistry, helping us to think more clearly, reflect and make better decisions.
We might experience a fleeting dopamine spike from being told by a robot that we are clever or right, but it’s more akin to the slight frisson associated with a ‘like’ on social media than the actual human connection we need to thrive. The difference might seem subtle, but once you have experienced both, it’s easy to tell the difference. Just as once you have listened to really good live music, you appreciate the pale imitations made by AI less.
We let social media happen to us, and now we are desperately playing catch-up, trying to understand and undo the harm it has caused. Chatbots and AI are relatively new. There is an opportunity to head off some of the inevitable harms to young people and their mental health, but we have to act fast. A good first step is to ensure children understand chatbots are often incorrect and always just pretending to care about us. I’d welcome the inclusion of this in the compulsory digital literacy lessons the National Education Union are calling for to be woven into the curriculum at both primary and secondary levels.
We also, of course, need to continue to push to ensure all young people have access to expedient mental health support. That way, they’ll understand that there’s no substitute for human connection.
Listen to LBC's Natasha Devon on Saturdays from 6-9pm on the LBC app.
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