A new threat to teenagers’ mental health is emerging from generative artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, as more young people turn to these tools for emotional queries. Psychologists warn that replacing human bonds with digital relationships can have deep effects on emotional development, and in some cases the outcome can be fatal: in the U.S., several lawsuits have been filed by families of young people who allegedly self-harmed or died by suicide after being encouraged to do so by such tools, including Sewell Setzer, 14, who took his own life after discussing that possibility with a synthetic character on Character.ai. One in eight U.S. teenagers already uses chatbots for emotional support, according to a report from the Rand Corporation and Harvard University, with the share rising to 22% among 18-to-22-year-olds. The Pew Research Center found that 64% of U.S. teens regularly use AI tools, and one-third of those use them daily. Frances Haugen, the engineer who leaked the Facebook Files, warned that digital friends are “enablers” and “sycophants,” and that “if we don’t extend the conversation from social networks to digital friends, we will see many of the same problems repeat.” Clinical psychologist Aurora Gómez noted that some patients refuse therapy because “they asked the AI and it told them not to,” while psychologist Eriene García described cases of young people quitting therapy because ChatGPT was cheaper and available at any hour.