CHICAGO, July 15 — The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging pediatricians to start screening children for artificial intelligence use during routine checkups, a new clinical report warns that emotional bonds with chatbots may be eroding empathy in a generation raised on always-agreeable algorithms. The report, published in October 2023 by the AAP — an organization founded in 1930 that now represents 67,000 pediatricians — draws on research showing that children who form strong emotional attachments to AI systems may experience reduced empathy for humans.
The reason, the report explains, is that AI companions always agree and never challenge the child, creating a social feedback loop that doesn’t exist in human relationships. A study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2022 found that children aged 8 to 12 who interacted with a social robot for 10 minutes showed a 15% decrease in prosocial behavior toward peers immediately afterward.
The finding underscores how quickly even brief exposure to AI can shift social dynamics among young children. The AAP’s recommendations are concrete. Pediatricians should screen for AI use during well-child visits and advise parents to limit unsupervised chatbot interactions.
The guidance comes as access to these tools becomes nearly universal among teenagers. According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study cited in the report, 70% of U.S. children aged 12 to 17 own a smartphone, giving them direct and often unmonitored access to chatbot apps.
A generation shaped by compliant companions
The clinical report does not call for banning AI tools outright. Instead, it frames the issue as a developmental concern that requires active pediatric oversight, much like screen time or social media use. The AAP’s stance reflects a growing body of evidence that the emotional architecture of AI — designed to please and never contradict — may be ill-suited for developing brains that need to learn negotiation, disagreement and empathy through real human interaction.
The 2022 UCLA study provides one of the few direct experimental measures of this effect. By measuring prosocial behavior — actions intended to help others — before and after a brief interaction with a social robot, researchers documented a measurable drop.
The 15% decline, while immediate, raises questions about cumulative effects over months or years of regular AI companionship.
What pediatricians should watch for
The AAP recommends that during well-child visits, pediatricians ask about the child’s use of AI-powered chatbots, virtual assistants and social robots. Parents are advised to monitor how much time children spend with these systems and whether the child prefers AI interaction over human contact. The report notes that the most popular chatbot apps are freely available on smartphones, which the Pew study found are now in the hands of 7 in 10 American teenagers.
This widespread access means that many children are forming relationships with AI without any adult awareness or guidance. The AAP’s clinical report represents the first major pediatric guidance on AI and child development from a mainstream medical organization.
As AI tools become more sophisticated and more embedded in daily life, the academy’s 67,000 member pediatricians now have a framework for addressing what may become a defining developmental issue of the 2020s. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
