November 28, 2025

AI Through the Years: Episode 3 - The Turbulent Years: AI Companions, Digital Identity, and Navigating Middle School in an AI World (Ages 11-13)

52 minutes

EPISODE SYNOPSIS:

Your twelve-year-old has been talking to an AI companion for hours daily. Is this the future of friendship, or a mental health crisis in disguise? Dr. JR and Dr. Jim Ford unpack the shocking reality of AI companions after Character.AI's complete ban on teen use following multiple suicide lawsuits.

We dissect the real numbers: seventy-two percent of teens have used AI companions, forty-two percent use them for mental health support, and one in three use them for social interaction. Learn about the TikTok radicalization pipeline, the deepfake crisis targeting middle schoolers, and why Sam Altman said OpenAI will "prioritize safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens."

What You'll Learn:

* Why Character.AI banned teens completely after tragic suicides

* The difference between AI companion addiction and healthy technology use

* How TikTok's algorithm creates radicalization pipelines

* Practical strategies for setting AI relationship boundaries

Action Steps (Try This at Home):

1. Have the AI honesty conversation: "Do you use AI? Show me."

2. Set one clear AI relationship boundary

3. Watch your child's social media algorithm together and discuss why they're seeing what they're seeing

4. Contact your school about AI policies and literacy education

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, help is available. In the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.

Keywords: AI Parenting, Middle School AI, Character.AI, Teen Mental Health, AI Companions, TikTok Algorithm, Digital Identity, Deepfakes, AI Addiction

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By JR DeLaney

3.8

55 ratings