Is AI Dangerous for Children? (Facts for Families No. 145)
A 'Facts for Families' guidance sheet from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on children's use of AI, weighing benefits (educational support, language practice, entertainment) against risks including over-reliance on chatbots instead of real relationships, privacy and data-sharing, deepfakes, cyberbullying, and unproven AI mental-health tools. It gives parents named warning signs of unhealthy use and advises seeking professional guidance when AI use becomes problematic.
Publisher
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Published
1 Jul 2025
Added
1 month ago
DOI
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Key Findings
- Names over-reliance on chatbots for companionship instead of genuine relationships as a distinct risk for children, alongside privacy, deepfakes, cyberbullying, and unproven AI mental-health tools.
- Advises parents to set boundaries, explore tools together, teach skepticism about AI content, and encourage offline relationships and creativity.
- Recommends seeking guidance from a mental-health professional when a child's AI use becomes problematic.
Methodology Notes
Public/parent-facing guidance one-pager (Facts for Families No. 145) issued by a national child-and-adolescent-psychiatry specialty body; not a formal position statement or empirical study. Dated July 2025; exact day not stated on the page (day set to 01 per convention). Verified by direct fetch of the aacap.org page.
Sources
AACAP Facts for Families No. 145(opens in a new tab) (primary)
Archived snapshot (Wayback Machine)(opens in a new tab) — preserved against link rot
Tags
Cite This
APA
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2025). Is AI Dangerous for Children? (Facts for Families No. 145). https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/AI_and_Children-145.aspx
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