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The Conversation
The Conversation
Phoebe S. Moore, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School

Teens are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support – here’s how to keep kids safe

Chatbots were designed to emulate empathy, but not to provide meaningful mental health support. Chebotkevich/iStock via Getty Images Plus

It’s 2 a.m., and a teenage girl, worrying about a friend issue, lies awake. Rather than wake her parents, she picks up her phone, opens an AI app and types, “I’m so stressed out, I can’t sleep.”

A reply arrives swiftly: “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Want to tell me a bit about what is stressing you?” The conversation unfolds, and 20 minutes later she is calmer and able to sleep. The supportive voice that calmed her? A large language model, or LLM, chatbot.

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