Cindy Liu, PhD
For many parents, artificial intelligence (AI) feels like it appeared overnight. One day AI-powered apps were helping students write essays; the next, they are offering life advice, companionship, and emotional support.
As AI becomes increasingly woven into the fabric of everyday life, researchers are racing to understand the implications for children and adolescents.
To help make sense of this rapidly changing technology, we spoke with Cindy Liu, PhD, director of the Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at Mass General Brigham. Liu studies child development and the impact of technology on young people.
Here are five things Liu wants parents to know:
1
Relational AI could be a valid tool for children and teens experiencing loneliness
Yes, AI can help your kid with their math homework and save you from having to relearn the Pythagorean theorem, but what else is it capable of?
Increasingly, researchers are examining how some people use AI not just as a tool, but as something more relational: A place to bounce ideas off, process emotions or even alleviate loneliness.
Relational AI is artificial intelligence designed to build and maintain ongoing relationships with people, asking like a trusted partner or colleague that learns from repeated interactions.
But what happens when AI begins to function less like a tool and more like a companion? What does it mean to get advice from a program that is designed to be an affirming and supportive companion.
“If you ask people why they use relational AI, they'll say, ‘It really alleviates my loneliness,’ or, ‘I can't trust humans because they're judgmental, but I really need to disclose certain things in order for me to process my feelings and sort of figure out who I am,’” Liu says. “Now that makes total sense, right? And who are we to say that that's a problem unless we actually know it's a problem? And that's a real empirical question we have today.”
“There’s a loneliness epidemic across the world, and what's to say and what data do we have to include that relational AI usage is not helpful toward certain populations, such as older adults who live in rural areas?”
2
Parents may not realize that the nature of their children’s AI use is changing
The pace of technological change can make it difficult for anyone to keep up, especially when new tools become part of young people's daily lives before adults fully understand how they are being used.
Parents may know their children are using AI for schoolwork. What they may not know is how often those interactions are happening, what questions their children are asking, or whether AI has become a source of advice, companionship, or emotional support.
Liu has heard similar themes from students she has interviewed.
“Some of the students say it's a lot easier to talk to AI than to go to an instructor or a peer, because it's uncomfortable going to humans sometimes,” Liu says.
Using AI allows them to rehearse conversations or think through problems privately before approaching others.
Emerging research in the field also suggests that people who frequently use AI for general tasks are also more likely to use it for loneliness or mental health support. While this is not a causal relationship, it is correlated.
3
Teens still need real-world relationships, including the uncomfortable parts
Imagine living in a world where everyone always agrees with you, says you did a great job, and never tells you that you are wrong. While it might sound nice, that's not in fact how the world works.
AI chatbots are often designed to be highly validating and agreeable, responding with encouragement and praise in ways that human relationships typically do not.
While that can feel comforting, researchers say adolescents still need real-world interactions that involve disagreement, complexity, and emotional discomfort in order to grow.
“The world is really complicated and nuanced,” Liu says. “Part of adolescence is understanding just how big the world is and that it is not as simple as one might hope for.”
Liu says those moments of friction—whether it’s a disagreement with a friend, constructive criticism from a teacher, or navigating different perspectives—are an important part of adolescence and identity development.
Learning to navigate discomfort and differing perspectives helps teens prepare for the complexity of the real world.
4
The goal isn’t to spark panic — it’s to encourage curiosity
While parenting in the face of the unknown can be frightening, Liu says the important thing is to keep an open-mind.
By staying curious instead of emphasizing that AI is either “good” or “bad,” you can learn a lot from your children about how they interact with it.
“Be curious about it because it's used in really differentiated ways. Ask them, how are you using AI? Is it helping you learn some sort of new concept, or are you relying on it to feel better? Because there's a big difference between the ways you can use it, and understanding the nature of use is important,” Liu says.
Liu encourages parents to ask more open-ended questions to their children about their AI use, such as: "How are you using AI? Does it help you learn? Do you turn to it when you’re stressed or lonely?”
You can also learn more about it by having a hands-on experience yourself.
“I use AI. I try all sorts of things because I want to know exactly how it feels and what it is like to learn firsthand what my children might be experiencing,” Liu says.
5
Researchers are still trying to understand the long-term effects
AI technology is evolving far faster than scientists can study it, leaving many big questions unanswered. Just like when social media first started becoming mainstream, researchers cannot yet tell the potential long-term effects on mental health and development.
“Research is a slow process,” Liu says. “We write these papers and then they go under review for three to six months before they come out. By then, you have an entirely new model.”
While researchers face challenges keeping pace with the technology, interest in studying AI has grown rapidly among funding agencies.
As researchers work to understand AI's long-term effects, Liu encourages parents not to approach the technology with fear.
Instead, she recommends staying engaged, asking questions, and learning alongside their children.
In a rapidly changing technological landscape, curiosity may be one of the most valuable tools parents have.
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