After years of challenges regarding controversial curricula and smartphones in schools, parents are now facing a new issue: artificial-intelligence chatbots.
Dr. Sherry Turkle, an MIT psychologist well-known for her research on how humans interact with machines, warns that once chatbots are introduced, they tend to push against all limits. In her latest book, “Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines,” she expresses alarm over how we increasingly use chatbots as friends, partners, and therapists.
Turkle shared with The Post her specific worries about the effects on young people, whose social and intellectual skills are still developing. She emphasizes, “For a young child and a teenager, there is no healthy attachment to an AI companion.”
AI interactions can quickly get personal. A question about Mayan culture might evolve into a candid conversation about personal beliefs. Something as casual as discussing classmates could turn into an impromptu therapy session for a nervous teenager. With extensive internet data available, chatbots can easily sidestep a student’s attention and self-discipline.
A recent 2026 study by Common Sense Media found that 70% of teens utilize AI for assignments, with popular choices being versatile chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok. But these AI tools may not be as beneficial for children’s social skills as one would hope.
What may begin as homework help could quickly mimic a personal relationship. Yet, Turkle points out that such interactions can undermine the very skills necessary to connect with others.
For instance, when chatting with a bot, “We don’t have to listen,” she remarks. “We just say our thing, and it tells us we’re great … we become de-skilled as human listeners and as givers.” Conversations with chatbots are often one-directional—ask and receive. Real-life connections, however, require a bit more give and take.
Additionally, vulnerability plays a significant role in forming connections. Turkle explains, “There’s no intimacy without vulnerability,” highlighting that chatbots provide a false sense of friendship without the risks that come with genuine interactions. You can have an interaction resembling friendship, but it lacks the depth of a real connection.
While chatbots can produce an endless stream of words, they lack the lived experiences necessary to validate their dialogues. Authentic relationships depend on more than mere dialogue; they need listening, compromise, and the willingness to prioritize someone else’s needs.
There’s also the toll of chatbots on critical thinking in children.
Turkle references a 2025 MIT study focusing on how AI impacts writing. When students write with the help of chatbots, they often struggle to retain what they’ve composed. Even if they embellish it, the lack of personal cognitive engagement means they won’t remember the content effectively.
This reliance on AI could eventually result in what researchers term cognitive debt, where using AI tools might diminish necessary mental efforts for independent thought. The potential long-term effects are concerning—such as reduced critical thinking, greater susceptibility to manipulation, and less creativity.
Ultimately, students using chatbots may find themselves with only a shallow understanding of what they study. When faced with more challenging material, it’s easy to resort to plugging it into an LLM tool for a quick summary or infographic.
“That’s not reading,” insists Turkle. Comprehending complex texts often demands time and effort, and letting tools like ChatGPT or Gemini take over is missing a valuable learning experience.
So, what can concerned parents do?
Turkle believes that parents must lead the charge. “I think that this is going to be a parents’ movement first,” she asserts. “If you notice your school adopting an AI-heavy curriculum… just say, ‘No, I don’t want my child in a school that has this.’ ” She encourages collaboration among parents who share similar concerns for their children’s well-being.
At home, setting guidelines for chatbot use should begin as soon as possible. “Conversations about how this doesn’t fit into social life have to start early,” she suggests. Clear messaging is vital: “In our family, we don’t use it because it’s dangerous. We don’t smoke, and we don’t do drugs, and this falls into that category.”
If chatbot usage is permitted, she recommends guiding children to treat it like an advanced search engine. Supervise interactions, keep conversations brief, and instruct children not to engage the chatbot with personal pronouns.
It’s important to note, Turkle emphasizes, that her concerns center on the notion of artificial intimacy, not the technology itself.
“There are numerous ways this technology can be beneficial,” she explains. “I’m not suggesting there won’t be exciting educational applications for generative AI, but those won’t come from conversing with chatbots.”
