RCIPS – Criminal Investigation Unit

Cayman Compass

AI threatens the mental health of children, says psychiatrist

Parents should carefully monitor their children’s use of artificial intelligence, a Cayman psychiatrist has warned.

Dr. Stenette Davis said that vulnerable youngsters could develop a “relationship” with a chat bot that could foster mental health problems and even encourage suicide.

“The risk is definitely real because children aren’t doing homework anymore; they’re using chat bots to do it,” he said.

“They spend a lot of time chatting to chat bots. The risk is definitely there in our population.”

Davis, a consultant psychiatrist at Integra Healthcare, was speaking at a panel session on ‘Contemporary trends and hot topics in medicine’.