UAE: Is your 'lonely' child turning to AI 'friends' for emotional support?

As youngsters tend to spend a lot of time online, they become increasingly influenced by the digital world and prone to many dangers. Multiple shocking cases have emerged as many lonely teenagers are unable to draw a line between the virtual sphere and the real world.

Experts have recalled cases they encountered where teens faced real danger online, advising parents to be extra vigilant and think of reasons that made their kids find solace online.

A Dubai-based child psychiatrist shared how he treated a young patient who began to live as a character in an online game. “She was so addicted to the game that she began feeling the trauma of that character and behaving like that,” said Dr C. B. Binu, Chief Psychiatrist And Medical Director at Al Fasht Medical Centre. “It has been several years but she still has not fully recovered from the disease.”

According to Dr Binu, lonely and vulnerable youngsters often turn to the digital world or online “friends” for comfort and kinship. His comments come after a Florida mum filed a lawsuit against an artificial intelligence chatbot start-up accusing it of causing her 14-year-old son's suicide in February. She claims the boy became so addicted and attached to the “frighteningly realistic” chatbot that he did not want to live without it.

Dr. Binu said the case reminded him of the Blue Whale challenge that had overtaken the online world a few years ago. The challenge, which began as an innocent game, proceeded to encourage participants to do self-harm before finally asking them to commit suicide. “The most significant factor of that challenge was that it targeted already vulnerable people,” he said. “Similarly, fraudulent online persons and things like these chatbots prey on vulnerable people, ultimately pushing them to the brink.”

According to Antony Bainbridge, Clinical Director at Resicare Alliance, a boarding service for youngsters with mental health and behavioural issues, the internet offers a “seemingly easy escape” from real-life problems for many teenagers.

“Children and young people may turn to online platforms where they can meet strangers, seeking validation or connection when they are lonely,” he said. “Their isolation may result from factors like school bullying or family issues such as divorce, busy parents, or strained family dynamics, or pandemic-related changes, which disrupted social activities and routines, leading children to rely more heavily on digital interactions. Each of these factors can increase the risk of suicidal ideation amongst this population group.”

Teen Coach and Neuroscience Trainer, Madhumita Adhya said youngsters often refuse to speak to their friends, parents or teachers but will open up to strangers. “These students are more likely to open up virtually to AI-generated characters who can offer them friendship than the people they know,” she said. “The teens' prefrontal cortex is just developing so any form of praise works wonders and they cannot see how their brain can be manipulated by virtual characters. Specifically, receptors for the “happy hormones” oxytocin and dopamine multiply in a part of the brain called the ventral striatum, making teens extra sensitive to attention and admiration from others.”

Dr Binu said that it was essential for parents to stay vigilant about their children’s online activities. “It is astonishing how naïve parents can be in the case of their children’s digital footprint,” he said. “I often see parents who are at the top of their careers and are extremely intelligent but they don’t know how to keep their children safe online. When they give their children access to a device, parents have to constantly monitor what they are doing on it. That is non-negotiable.”

He shared the case of a youngster who befriended a boy online thinking he was her age so she began sending him compromising photos. “It was only when police contacted them that the family realized this,” he said. “However, the “boy” was a gang that operated illegal websites and several of the girl's photos were posted on them. If the police had not been so vigilant and cracked down on these harmful evils, the family probably would have never realized.”

Anthony added that parents are often not aware of the risks their children face online. “Without proper supervision, children and young people can easily access chat rooms, forums, or social media platforms where strangers may offer them attention or support. This creates opportunities for manipulation by online predators who can exploit children’s vulnerabilities and unregulated conversations where children may share personal information, compromising their safety.”