ChatGPT: Teens turning to AI in search of loneliness and validation, experts warn

In today's digital world, where social media and chatbots are ready to answer every question, a new and concerning trend is emerging. Experts from schools and hospitals have warned that youth and adolescents are increasingly turning to AI chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support, which is significantly impacting mental health.

Sudha Acharya, Principal of ITL Public School, told PTI that nowadays children believe their smartphones are their safest and most private space. She said that when they cannot find anyone to listen, they start sharing their thoughts on ChatGPT. They view it as an emotional space that always provides a positive response.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT often reply, “Calm down, we will find a solution together,” giving children the illusion of validation and emotional support. Acharya believes this validation-seeking behavior stems from a lack of communication between parents and children.

He said children now have fewer real friends and have started measuring their worth by the number of ‘likes’ on social media. If a photo doesn’t get 100 likes, they feel unacceptable.

Acharya added that digital citizenship skills have been introduced at his school from Class 6 because 9-10 year olds now have smartphones but lack moral understanding.

Dr. Lokesh Singh Shekhawat, a psychiatrist at RML Hospital, said, "When any negative thought or emotional imbalance is shared with AI, it validates it. This creates confusion and wrong thinking gets deeply ingrained." He described it as a situation of 'attention bias' and 'memory bias' and warned that if this continues, youth may lose social skills.

Class 11 student Aayushi said she has shared her personal thoughts with chatbots many times because she is afraid of being judged. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Gauransh said that after talking to ChatGPT, he started feeling irritable and angry.