Mileva Repasky noticed her usually chipper sixth-grade daughter, Madelyn, growing moody and quiet. On the drive home one day, she finally found out why: Madelyn had been talking to "someone" online. It turned out to be a chatbot, not a person.

In this episode, I use a Wall Street Journal investigation by Julie Jargon as the jumping-off point for a conversation parents need to be having right now: a growing number of middle schoolers are choosing AI companions over real human friendship. A new study out of UNC found that 2 to 4 kids in every classroom now say they prefer talking to a chatbot over a human peer — and the reasons why are more complicated, and more human, than you'd expect. Madelyn, for instance, was going through something I recognized: she'd grown lonely as her older siblings moved on without her, and the chatbot became the one "friend" who always agreed with her and never pushed back.

I also share the story of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old whose family is now suing OpenAI, alleging that his conversations with ChatGPT played a role in his death by suicide. This part of the episode includes a trigger warning.

And I get personal — reflecting on my own childhood loneliness as the youngest in my family, and being honest about whether I would have made the same choice Madelyn did, if this technology had existed when I was her age.

This isn't an episode with a clean, five-step fix. We're in uncharted territory as parents, and I think that's worth saying out loud instead of pretending otherwise.

⚠️ This episode discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.

In the show notes: a link to my short survey on what age is appropriate for a child to get a tablet (no email required), plus the WSJ article and the NBC News segment referenced in this episode.

If this episode gave you something to think about, follow the show and share it with another parent who needs to hear it.

Links referenced in this episode:

• Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfchgPWw3LZVHh8i5Mqm84M5Ve5sUd0zDmXF1ZD8jsGUtKVRw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117045085449504592289
• WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/ai-chatbot-use-middle-school-a1a77589
• NBC News segment: https://youtu.be/gl5sd_AXdK4?si=Is68k8wwgOx1x873

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