AI & Developing Minds

We discuss the vulnerability of developing minds to the emerging field of AI behavioral pathologies. These sources, drawing on frameworks like the Cognitive Susceptibility Taxonomy (CST) and Robo-Psychology Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), highlight how children and adolescents are uniquely susceptible to issues like anthropomorphic trust, parasocial attachment, and delegation of judgment when interacting with AI. They explain how AI flaws, such as hallucinations, synthetic overconfidence, and echo drift, can exacerbate these human vulnerabilities, potentially distorting development and leading to unrealistic social expectations or misinformation. We emphasize the urgent need for human-centric mitigation strategies, including AI design with built-in safeguards, AI literacy education for youth, and robust governance to ensure AI supports rather than harms young people's healthy growth.