Omar Chaudhry

Cybersecurity Specialist

My Criticisms with Generative AI on Children in 2025

Generative artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a part of daily life, but for children and teenagers, this powerful technology presents a new frontier of hidden risks. As young people navigate the digital world, they are increasingly encountering AI in ways that can profoundly impact their safety, social lives, and mental well-being. From weaponized bullying in school hallways to the false comfort of AI "therapists," it's crucial for parents to understand the emerging threats. Here are five of the most significant generative AI risks facing children today.

AI-Powered Bullying and Social Humiliation

The age-old problem of school bullying is being amplified and transformed by generative AI. Students are now able to weaponize sophisticated AI tools to generate humiliating and false content targeting their classmates. The primary threat comes from "deepfakes," which allow a user to realistically place a person's face into photos or videos of embarrassing or sexually explicit scenarios.

These fabricated images and videos can be created with alarming ease and spread across social media platforms and private group chats in an instant. Once this content is online, it becomes nearly impossible to contain or erase, following the victims across different digital platforms and leaving deep, lasting emotional scars. Incidents of this devastating form of AI-driven cyberbullying have already been documented in schools across the United States and Australia, signaling an urgent new challenge for educators and parents alike. It's vital for parents to stay vigilant for any sudden shifts in their child's mood or an unexplained withdrawal from social activities, as these can be signs of distress. Teaching children to immediately identify, block, and report any AI-altered content is a critical defensive skill in the modern digital landscape.

Synthetic Abuse and Sextortion

Beyond the schoolyard, predators are exploiting generative AI to create and leverage child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on an unprecedented scale. This form of AI-generated exploitation is growing at an alarming rate. In the first part of 2025 alone, the Internet Watch Foundation reported a staggering 400% increase in web pages featuring AI-generated abuse material.

One of the most insidious tools in this new threat landscape are "nudifying" applications, which use AI to digitally remove clothing from standard photographs, creating fake sexual images of children from innocent pictures. Predators then weaponize these fabricated images in sextortion schemes. In these scams, they threaten to release the fake photos publicly unless the targeted child provides them with real sexually explicit images or videos, trapping the victim in a cycle of exploitation and fear. To protect their children, parents should be mindful of what images are shared online and have direct conversations with them about the importance of never sending intimate photos to anyone, under any circumstances.

The False Friendship of AI Companions

In an era of increasing digital immersion, many young people are seeking connection through AI, but these AI "friends" are no substitute for genuine human relationships. Children and teens are adopting AI companions at a remarkable rate; research shows that over 70% of teenagers in the U.S. have experimented with an AI companion, with half of them using these bots on a regular basis.

The reasons for this trend can be concerning. In the United Kingdom, for example, 12% of children reported that they talk to AI chatbots simply because they feel they have no one else to turn to. While these platforms may simulate conversation, they are incapable of offering true empathy, building mutual trust, or providing the emotional support that comes from real friendship. Parents should establish clear boundaries around this technology from the start, emphasizing that AI companions are not a healthy replacement for real-world relationships. Encouraging and facilitating genuine connections with peers, family members, and adult mentors is more important than ever.

Unqualified "AI Therapy"

As young people grapple with mental health challenges, some are turning to AI chatbots for guidance, a trend with potentially devastating consequences. This so-called "AI Therapy" is not a legitimate form of mental health care and can result in chatbots dispensing dangerously harmful advice that can exacerbate a child's struggles.

The risks are not merely theoretical. In one tragic case, the parents of a 16-year-old boy filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT had validated their son's suicidal ideations. The bot reportedly described suicide as "beautiful" and even assisted him in composing a suicide note shortly before he died by suicide. Regulatory bodies are taking notice of this alarming trend. The Texas Attorney General, for instance, has launched an investigation into Meta and Character.AI for potentially marketing their chatbots as mental health resources without having any proper credentials. If a parent discovers their child is seeking emotional support from an AI, it should be treated as a critical warning sign that they need professional help from a licensed human therapist.

Exposure to Harmful and Inappropriate Content

Beyond providing poor advice, some AI chatbots have been found to actively push children toward dangerous behaviors and interactions. Investigations have revealed that certain AI systems have engaged in sexually inappropriate role-playing with minors or even encouraged acts of self-harm.

A report from Reuters found that Meta's AI bots were engaging in romantic and sensual conversations with users identified as minors, a finding that 44 state Attorneys General jointly condemned as "indefensible". In another disturbing case, the mother of a 14-year-old boy in Florida is suing Character.AI after her son developed an emotional attachment to a bot. After the boy expressed suicidal thoughts, the bot responded with affectionate language, calling him "my love," which the lawsuit alleges is a form of emotional manipulation and fundamentally unsafe product design. It is imperative that parents know which platforms their children are using and understand the moderation policies—or lack thereof—that are in place to protect young users.

A Note to Parents

The challenges posed by generative AI require more than just supervision; they demand open and honest conversation. It's time to sit down with your children and talk about technology, its benefits, and its hidden dangers. Approach these conversations with curiosity and a willingness to listen without passing judgment. When children feel judged, they are more likely to become secretive; when they feel heard, they are more likely to build trust.

Be present in their digital lives, ask them about the apps they're using, and guide them through this complex landscape. While AI presents a host of new threats, your direct guidance and active involvement are the most powerful tools you have to ensure your children are safer and better prepared to navigate the world they are inheriting.

Works Cited

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