Kids and Chatbot Romances

I recently logged onto the replica.com website and was greeted by a smiling AI created female face, and an invitation to create my own personal AI friend. The opening screen asked me if I was a woman, a man, or a non-binary person. Answering these questions is the first step on the journey to have Replika create a virtual chatbot friend. Users who remain on the free version of the platform can create a virtual friend, while those who opt to pay a subscription fee are offered a partner, spouse, sibling, or mentor. Sixty percent of the paid subscribers report having a romantic relationship with the chatbot. There are many reasons for us to not only know about these chatbot relationships, but to be concerned. With loneliness, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues on the rise, more and more of our kids have been and will be opting into these virtual relationships. This reminds us of our need to point kids to a relationship with Jesus, and real human relationships with friends and family.