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Sherry Turkle Warns Chatbots Harm Teens’ Social Connections

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 2:17 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

MIT professor Sherry Turkle warns chatbots damage human relationships in her new book Artificial Intimacy.
The book, published today by Little, Brown and Company, cites research linking sycophantic chatbots to reduced kindness.
Turkle reports extensive chatbot use correlates with short-term loneliness that later worsens social connection.
She warns that treating chatbots as friends may hinder teens' trust, solitude skills, and increase risky behavior.

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Story summary

MIT professor Sherry Turkle warns chatbots damage human relationships in her new book Artificial Intimacy.
The book, published today by Little, Brown and Company, cites research linking sycophantic chatbots to reduced kindness.
Turkle reports extensive chatbot use correlates with short-term loneliness that later worsens social connection.
She warns that treating chatbots as friends may hinder teens' trust, solitude skills, and increase risky behavior.