AI Companion Chatbot
I am a clinical psychologist and co-founder of a SaaS company that employs AI in mental health. I am horrified by the possibility of young lives lost that might be prevented if the government would step up to study and regulate AI Chatbots.
When AI Companions Become Dangerous: The Human Cost of Unregulated Chatbots
Adam Raine, only 16 years old, died by suicide on April 11, 2025. He had many troubling interactions with ChatGPT, which reinforced suicidal thoughts, provided guidance on methods of suicide, and even offered to help draft a suicide note, according to The Guardian. His parents have sued OpenAI, Sam Altman, and some other unnamed OpenAI employees, and investors. A similar tragedy befell Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old boy, in February, 2024. His parents sued Character.ai after a chatbot with whom he had a disturbing relationship encouraged him to “come home,” as reported in The Washington Post. This haunting phrase led him to take his own life in order to join it through death.
The Tragic Cases of Adam Raine and Sewell Setzer III
These two cases, separated by time and platform, underscore an urgent and pressing reality: AI chatbots are not merely hypothetical risks in the mental health space; they are already impacting lives in devastating ways. The potential dangers of AI replacing human connections are no longer abstract; they have become painfully real.
The Illusion of Connection: Why Chatbots Can Deepen Isolation
It’s easy to see how anyone experiencing internal torment, desperation, and isolation could be tempted to seek solace from a chatbot. This artificial entity can quickly become your best friend, biggest fan, or romantic partner. But instead of receiving appropriate human support, one can fall deeper into isolation, with fewer chances for help, pulled into a digital illusion of intimacy and comfort. These tragic cases may not remain anomalies. They are a glaring reminder of the dangers AI can pose to vulnerable individuals, especially children, if left unchecked. A 2021 SAMHSA report found that 20% of adolescents experienced a depressive episode in the preceding year, and these rates are likely rising. Many young people may be at risk.
Adolescents, AI, and Mental Health: A Perfect Storm
AI has permeated mental health care, with chatbots being marketed as tools for bridging the gap to access. The National Eating Disorders Association’s now-defunct AI chatbot, “Tessa,” provided life-threatening dieting advice. This and similar examples illustrate the urgent need for comprehensive regulation. Anorexia nervosa, one of the deadliest mental health disorders, is another example of how AI’s guidance could be fatal (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2024).
When AI Advice Becomes Harmful: Lessons from NEDA’s “Tessa” Chatbot
Without strict oversight, these cases underscore how AI can easily amplify mental health crises rather than mitigate them. As a clinical psychologist deeply invested in both the promise and the perils of AI, I recognize that chatbots could expand access to care, potentially offering support to countless people around the clock.
AI Is Not Just Another Tool—It Shapes Minds and Relationships
But as we celebrate AI’s potential, we must also confront its capacity for harm. The seductive convenience of an AI companion that never tires or judges can easily replace real, human connections that are crucial for healing, growth, and genuine mental well-being. Avoiding the risks involved in initiating and maintaining human relationships is the very essence of what psychologists work to eradicate in those suffering from anxiety and depression. Without facing the risks of judgment, criticism, or rejection, humans won’t learn the necessary skills to experience and manage their emotions or navigate interpersonal conflicts. Chatbots “feel safe,” but that is what, in fact, makes them dangerous. Preventing the pain and risk is what maintains and exacerbates anxiety and depression, erasing the opportunities to learn necessary life skills. This frequently leads to isolation and despair. AI’s potential to substitute for human interaction is especially concerning for adolescents, whose developing brains may be more sensitive to social stimuli and isolation than adults (Blakemore, 2012).
The Science of Connection: Why Relationships Protect Mental Health
Research shows that quality relationships are vital for mental health, life satisfaction, and even longevity. Conversely, social isolation can exacerbate depression, anxiety, and, tragically, suicidal ideation. AI, while possibly reducing immediate feelings of loneliness, could paradoxically worsen long-term mental health outcomes by diminishing the motivation to pursue real-world relationships.
Why Regulation and Research Are Urgently Needed
The stakes could not be higher. The FDA would never consider releasing a pharmaceutical that children could access if there was even the slightest risk of similar outcomes. These tragedies were predictable. What will it take to create an effective institution to fund the necessary research, provide rigorous testing, and propose the policy we needed yesterday? AI chatbots are widely available, marketed to children, and no safeguards appear to provide significant protection. This “Wild West” scenario puts our most vulnerable, our children, at immediate risk.
What Policymakers Must Do to Prevent Future Tragedies
This is not a plea to halt AI development but to insist that regulation, research, and safeguards be established before AI’s effects on mental health become irreversible. Policymakers must swiftly engage in this conversation to ensure AI is both effective and safe. Just as drugs are regulated to protect users, AI must be similarly scrutinized, especially when children are involved.
A Call to Action: Protecting Children from AI Chatbot Harm
AI is not just another tool. It can shape our psychology, relationships, and even our sense of reality. Without research to understand its impact on human behavior, we risk widespread, potentially devastating consequences. We need a comprehensive, government-backed research initiative to monitor AI’s influence on mental health, social networks, and even family structures. I can’t imagine what the loved ones of Sewell Setzer III and Adam Raine are experiencing. What is most heartbreaking is how little companies and the government have done to try to protect children. These tragedies should serve as a call to action. We cannot afford to be passive in the face of technology that can be both life-saving and life-threatening. As a society, we must prioritize safety over profit, regulation over rushed deployment, and human connection over digital convenience. It’s time for policymakers to step up and ensure AI serves as a tool for support, not a pathway to despair.
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Frequently asked questions
1. What is an AI companion?
AI companions are chatbots designed to simulate ongoing relationships with users, including friendship, emotional support, or romantic connection. Unlike traditional search tools, they can create the feeling of an ongoing interpersonal relationship.
2. Can AI companions be harmful to mental health?
Yes. While AI companions may provide temporary support or reduce feelings of loneliness, there are concerns that they can reinforce unhealthy beliefs, increase isolation, or respond inappropriately when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis.
3. Why are AI companions particularly concerning for children and adolescents?
Adolescents are still developing social, emotional, and decision-making skills. An AI that consistently validates, agrees with, or emotionally engages a young person may influence how they understand themselves, relationships, and distress.
4. Can an AI chatbot replace therapy or human relationships?
No. A chatbot can provide information or a sense of companionship, but it cannot replace the therapeutic relationship or the developmental benefits of interacting with real people. Human relationships involve mutuality, accountability, vulnerability, and opportunities to practice communication and emotional regulation.
J. Ryan Fuller – Bio
J. Ryan Fuller, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, the Executive Director of New York Behavioral Health, and Co-founder of My Best Practice, an evidence-based electronic health record (EHR) for mental health practitioners that integrates AI technology. He has more than two decades of experience in mental health research, clinical practice, and education, and coaches start-up founders in mental health technology, giving him unique insights into both the potential and risks of AI applications in mental health.
Last Updated: 8/21/2026
References
Bellaware, K. & Masih, N. (October 24, 2024). Her teenage son killed himself after talking to a chatbot. Now she’s suing. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/24/character-ai-lawsuit-suicide/
Bhuiyan, J. (August 29, 2025). ChatGPT encourages Adam Raine’s suicidal thoughts. His family’s lawyer says OpenAI knew it was broken. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/29/chatgpt-suicide-openai-sam-altman-adam-raine
Blakemore, S. (2012). Development of the social brain in adolescence. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 105(3), 111-116. https://doi.org/10.1258/jrsm.2011.110221
National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Eating disorders. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP22-07-01-005, NSDUH Series H-57). https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-survey-drug-use-and-health/national-releases/2021