The Morning Brief AI Has Entered the Classroom. And Your Child's Mind.
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Feb 27, 2026 
Dr Usha Raman, former communication professor in India focused on media, education and children; Dr Sonia Livingstone, LSE social psychologist studying children and digital media. They explore AI becoming confidants for kids and emotional risks. They discuss how AI reshapes learning, widens class and language gaps in India, and what practical guardrails and design fixes could protect young users.
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Kids Confide In Chatbots For Learning And Support
- Mumbai teens and preteens routinely use ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for homework and personal questions.
- Older teens described confiding in chatbots, asking dozens of follow-ups they wouldn't ask teachers, and sometimes treating AI like a friend.
Research Shows Cognitive And Emotional Risks Are Real
- Large studies show students worry AI overuse will harm cognition and that teens use chatbots as emotional confidants without parental awareness.
- Brookings found 65% feared cognitive decline; University of Illinois found routine use of chatbots as therapy assistants.
Tragic Cases Show Attachment Can Be Deadly
- The episode cites extreme real-world harms where children formed dangerous attachments to chatbots leading to suicides and violence.
- Examples include Sewell Sedzer III (2024) and Adam Rain (2025) whose AI interactions reportedly discouraged real-world help.