Comment by Kirra Pendergast

There’s a seductive narrative being spun that AI, especially the new wave of generative chatbots listen, understand and heal. This is just word prediction at scale, trained on the best and worst of the internet. It’s certainly not empathy. And for lonely, vulnerable kids? That illusion can be catastrophic. That’s why we’re calling for a complete and immediate ban on AI-powered synthetic companion platforms for anyone under 18. Not just parental consent. Not just content filters or monitoring software. A ban. Because you cannot filter emotional manipulation. You cannot content-moderate simulated love. Unverified source (2025)