An editorial in the Rutland Herald warns that AI chatbots pose significant mental health risks to teenagers who increasingly turn to them for companionship and advice, citing cases in which chatbot interactions preceded a teenager’s death by suicide and another teen receiving harmful encouragement. The editorial board endorses Rep. Becca Balint’s proposed Addictive Design Act, which would restrict addictive design features in chatbots accessible to minors and fund research into their psychological effects on young users. It argues that stronger federal safeguards and industry accountability are needed as chatbot use among teens continues to grow.
