Does Your Child Have an AI Companion?

Chances are, even the most involved parents who are doing their best to monitor their child’s online activity, manage drop-offs and pick-ups, and stay up to date on their activities and friendships still do not know about every interaction happening online.

As parents, we want to believe we are in touch with what our children are doing, especially during their teenage years, but we cannot be certain. We have demanding jobs, other children or family members to care for, our own personal needs, and a list of things that never seem to end. Yet when we realize how quickly these impressionable years go by, the time we invest now, as much as we can, can make all the difference.

AI tools have dominated conversations about faster work, greater efficiency, and productivity, but in the midst of this race to use technology to do more, we may be overlooking how easy it has become for our children to use AI as “someone” to talk to.

The article “AI Companions and Adolescent Social Relationships: Benefits, Risks, and Bidirectional Influences” describes AI companions as conversational tools that can provide personalized, humanlike companionship, creating new opportunities for adolescents to form emotional connections with something that is not human during an important stage of their social development.

The numbers should get our attention. According to a 2025 Common Sense Media survey cited in the article, 72% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 have used AI companions, while 52% are regular users. A third of teens have chosen an AI companion over a person for a serious conversation, and one-quarter have shared personal information with these platforms.

It is not difficult to understand why. AI can be a convenient place for young people to ask questions they may be afraid or embarrassed to ask someone else, or to seek help when they feel shame or uncertainty about a thought, feeling, or behavior. With the use of these tools growing so quickly, what are parents supposed to do and how can they be supportive?

Here are three ways parents and trusted adults can navigate how to stay connected with their children:

1. Make sure that they can talk to you.

Let your children know that you are open to hearing their ideas and that no thought is too small, big, or crazy to at least talk about. Listen even when their thinking feels worlds apart from yours. You do not have to agree with everything they say, but the openness you create today can leave the door open for the harder conversations you hope they will bring to you later.

2. Explore AI with them instead of only warning them about it.

Our children may use this technology far more in their lifetime than we ever will, so explore it together, fact-check what it tells you, and talk about your values along the way. Help them understand that an AI tool may sound empathetic and encouraging, but that does not make it human.

You can start small. Ask your child to use AI to find a recipe for something they want you to cook, then explore the results together. Ask what they know about the tool, how they use it, and what they think about its responses. Sometimes getting our children to teach us is one of the easiest ways to enter their world.

3. Keep choosing human connection.

This also means that we have to be an example. Put the phones away during a meal and talk about something interesting. Play a word game at the table, imagine your next vacation together, or plan a project you can take on as a family. Connection does not always require hours of free time. Look for bite-sized moments, then ask your children how those moments felt. Keep showing them the joy of being curious about one another because all of you are still growing, changing, and learning each other.

Our children are watching how we respond to AI, whether we embrace every new tool or criticize the technology altogether. During these important years when they are exploring who they are becoming, sometimes the better choice is to enter the unknown with them, see a little of their world, and remain curious about what they are experiencing.

It is never too late to jump in and find out what is going on. You may be surprised by what you discover but staying involved matters. No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, kids need to know that no AI companion can replace the experience of knowing that you are that real person in their corner who loves them, sees them, and wants to understand them.

About Be Strong International

Be Strong International is a non-profit organization whose mission is to give every person the tools to build relationships filled with safety, trust, and joy, by breaking cycles of conflict and disconnection. Visit BeStrongIntl.org to learn more.