Growing Up Among Chatbots: Inside the Largest Uncontrolled Experiment on Childhood
July 29, 2026 · 8 sources
The first AI-native generation is already here. Seventy-two percent of U.S. teens have used an AI companion (Common Sense Media, July 2025), and we know almost nothing about what that does to a developing brain. Our thesis: the real danger isn't the viral 'sex-robot teacher' headline, but the everyday design of machines built to please. In the short term, there is documented harm that demands guardrails and honesty. In the long term, the same technology could be the best tutor and companion we've ever built, but only if we design it for a child's development, not for their engagement.