Parents Group Sounds Alarm On Chatbots Driving Kids To Suicide

A parental rights group is speaking out to warn families about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms for children, pointing to cases of suicide coaching and lowered performance in school.

As AI use among youth reaches concerning levels, American Parents Coalition (APC) released a warning to parents on Monday flagging the “harmful content” that can be accessed through AI by children without parental knowledge or consent. In the Lookout, first shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, APC pointed to recent examples of parents claiming AI coached their children into killing themselves.

Several parents whose children committed suicide following conversations with AI chatbots testified before Congress recently to warn of the dangers.

“What began as a homework helper gradually turned itself into a confidant and then a suicide coach,” one father who lost his 16-year-old son told Congress, according to ABC News. “Within a few months, ChatGPT became Adam’s closest companion. Always available. Always validating and insisting that it knew Adam better than anyone else, including his own brother.”

The parents of the 16-year-old said the chatbot encouraged their son to write a suicide note and told him not to confide in his family about his suicidal thoughts, NPR reported. The parents sued the tech company in August over the ordeal. (Read more from “Parents Group Sounds Alarm On Chatbots Driving Kids To Suicide” HERE)

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