Teens are drawn to the privacy and comfort chatbots offer, but companies may use conversations to train their AI.
Some, like Quentin, found support through these bots; others struggled to cut back on usage.
Co-director of the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Mitch Prinstein warns parents that if they're worried about social media time now, "If you think your child is not talking to chatbot companions, you're probably wrong."
As legal debates over tech's impact on youth continue, experts urge caution: these bots can help with loneliness but may also cause emotional harm if overused.