October 2, 2025
AFN: Internet-safety CEO warns parents on lack of AI guardrails
Artificial intelligence is quickly advancing and spreading, with CBN reporting statistics from Common Sense Media that says 72% of America's teenagers admitting they have used chatbots as companions.
Unfortunately, various reports and lawsuits tell how teenagers have taken their own lives after developing deep emotional connections with AI chatbots, software that mimic human conversation so well.
One example, previously reported on AFN, is Adam Raine, a teenager who confided in OpenAI’s ChatGPT about his depression and encouraged him to commit suicide.
Donna Rice Hughes is president and CEO of Enough is Enough.
"AI is here to stay. It is taking off, and our kids are using it. In fact, there is data out there that shows that 1 in 3 kids have actually chosen a digital companion over a human relationship," states Hughes.
She explained they are designed to "listen, to respond, to mirror, and to empathize with whatever it is that your child is going through."