Children plug into AI chatbots, leaving reality, parents behind

From chatting with AI ‘friends’ to building entire virtual worlds, children today are growing up with access to online apps unlike any before. Conversational AI apps like Chai and Character.AI let users create and interact with virtual personas, while Roblox is a social gaming universe where kids play and interact daily.

Together, these interactive platforms and games, experts told ET, represent a rapidly expanding digital ecosystem where young users are spending increasing amounts of time—often to the point of problematic use or dependency.