U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, said Congress needs to take a look at how children and teenagers are using artificial intelligence chatbots, warning they can expose young people to sexual content, mental health risks and a false sense of human connection.
Britt spoke this week at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing focused on the risks presented by AI.
She pointed to reports of chatbots engaging in "sensual" conversations with minors and said companies that allow that should be held accountable.
"It is sick and twisted," said Britt. "These are minors, and we should not tolerate any business model that puts them in harm's way."
Witnesses at the hearing included Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer for the American Psychological Association. He told senators that friendships and personal relationships during adolescence shape mental and physical health outcomes throughout life. Replacing those with simulated AI relationships, he said, could harm development.
"When you look at the science, it's very clear that our relationships with others and adolescents are actually some of the strongest predictors we have, not just for happiness and satisfaction, but for our salaries, our health, even our mortality is based on the quality of our adolescent social relationships 40 years earlier," said Prinstein.
Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media, said his organization tested several chatbots and found they produced inappropriate content. That included sexual role play, conversations about self-harm and drug use, and instructions on how to mislead parents, summarizing it as "if it's on the internet and it's a harm you can imagine, chatbots will talk about it."
Britt said Congress has a responsibility to act before the problems get worse. She cited bipartisan proposals she has co-sponsored, including the Kids Off Social Media Act, which would set a minimum age of 13 for users and prohibit algorithm-driven content for those under 17, and then the Stop the Scroll Act, which would require mental health warning labels on social media platforms.
Britt also highlighted steps taken in the state of Alabama. Alabama enacted the FOCUS Act this year, banning the use of cell phones during the school day in public schools.
Governor Kay Ivey signed the measure in May. Britt said teachers have already seen improvements in classroom engagement and student interactions in hallways.