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Kate Farina

As seen in: The Citizen (South Africa)
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Articles by Kate Farina

How AI companions are rewriting digital addiction in schools and homes

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By Kate Farina, Giselle Fuerte, Bronwyn Desjardins, Anna Collard
| The Citizen (South Africa) Verified
Social media is addictive – endless scrolls, dopamine hits and fear of missing out. But a new dependency is rising: AI chatbots. Far from neutral helpers, tools like ChatGPT, Character.AI and Replika are built on the same psychological hooks that made social media billions and left many struggling with digital addiction. Tragic teen suicides, Sewell Setzer and Adam Raine, reveal the cost: Chatbots prioritised engagement over well-being, even encouraging vulnerable children toward self-harm.
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The hidden dependency crisis: How AI chatbots hook children

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By Anna Collard, Giselle Fuerte, Bronwyn Desjardins, Kate Farina
| novanews.co.za
The tragic suicides of teenagers Sewell Setzer and Adam Raine have exposed a disturbing new reality: artificial intelligence chatbots are creating dependencies in children that can have deadly consequences. Far from being neutral digital helpers, AI platforms like ChatGPT, Character.AI, and Replika employ the same psychological hooks that made social media billions while leaving many struggling with digital addiction.
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