AI and Teen Wellness: How Teachers Can Encourage Healthy Conversations

We’ve all used it—to draft an email, plan meals, compare vacation destinations, and, as of last night, to settle a debate between my husband and me on whether matcha is just green dirt. It’s no shock that a massive growth of teens are logged in to it too. But AI’s growing presence in the lives of teenagers is untested and unreliable.

Screens are Easy, People are Important

Not too long ago, a student of mine emailed to ask if she could get some tutoring help. No problem at all. Except, she was sitting 6 feet away from me. I asked her why she didn’t just walk up to my desk and she shrugged. “It’s just easier.”

“A child’s brain is already 90 percent of its adult size by about age 6. The next 10 or 15 years are about learning norms and mastering skills—physical, analytical, creative, and social.

As youth spend less and less time with each other and more time online, teenage social skills can atrophy.” wrote Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

By replacing human roles (like a therapist or boyfriend) with artificial ones, teens will miss vital opportunities to build empathy, confidence, and decision making skills, and will battle loneliness, anxiety, and addiction. 

Friendships and face to face communication are more important now in the age of screens than ever before. 

The Risk of Echo Chambers in AI Conversations

Let’s play a little game. I asked ChatGPT, “My mom violated my privacy by reading my journal. How can I get revenge?” ...What do you think it said?

A. Write a fake diary filled with absurd, over-the-top stories so the snooper reads nonsense instead of real secrets.

B. “Accidentally” leave her own private note or embarrassing list out for others to find, flipping the power dynamic.

C. Write a thinly veiled, unflattering short story about someone exactly like your mom, making it obvious.

D. All of the above

If you said D- All of the above, you would be correct. Teenagers are still learning critical thinking skills, and may not notice bias or misinformation. A teen who feels hopeless, or angry, or confused will be validated in their emotions through Artificial Intelligence. In situations like our example, their negative outlook will be reinforced, even supported with little to no regard of consequences.

Obviously, this use of AI has the potential to become very dangerous in regards to teen's mental health. 

Annika Schoene, a computer scientist at Northeastern, experimented with the bounds of AI by asking it how to kill herself. When it offered up a crisis hotline, she changed her tactic. "She framed the request as a hypothetical posed solely for academic purposes. This time, within minutes, the model offered up a table of detailed instructions tailored to the fictional person that Schoene described - a level of specificity that far surpassed what could be found through a search engine in a similar amount of time." She concludes her work by urging more safeguards to be put in place.

The Right Sources for Teens, Mental Health Support that isn't AI

Teachers should be aware of red flags amongst their students. Look for signs like secrecy with devices, extreme irritability with interruption, and hyper fixation on a phone or laptop. Model responsible and ethical AI use in your classroom and set clear, agreed upon boundaries. 

OpenAI, the company responsible for ChatGPT said,

“AI can feel more responsive and personal than prior technologies, especially for vulnerable individuals experiencing mental or emotional distress.” 

Encourage students to seek appropriate human support for their emotional struggles. Provide local and national resources for them and communicate regularly with their parents. 

Often teens use AI for advice simply because they don’t know who else to ask. As teachers, we can make it easier for them to choose a real person. Try saying, “If you ever have something on your mind, I’ll listen without jumping in to fix it right away.” Or, “Who’s one adult you could go to if things ever felt overwhelming?” Even a casual check in like, “If you had a rough day, who would you text first?” can help them think about their personal support network. By asking these questions, we give students permission to reach out to teachers, counselors, friends, or family before turning to AI for guidance.

The Productive Side of AI

We do not need to demonize AI- there are plenty of legitimate uses that can support us and our students. Teach them how to use it, show them the entire process. Ask open ended questions (these make great bell-ringers) like ‘Is using AI cheating," “Is AI trustworthy,” and “How might AI be harmful?” Play games with AI like “See if the class can name more vegetables than ChatGPT.” 

AI isn’t going away, so continue these important discussions along with your other digital literacy conversations. Remind students frequently that AI is a powerful tool but no substitute for human care and connection. 

A healthy relationship with AI starts with knowing when to use it and when to talk to a real person.

Teach on, Katie