After what can generously be called a contentious tenure as the CEO of The Washington Post, Will Lewis is stepping down following mass layoffs this week. Jeff D’Onofrio, former CEO of Tumblr from 2017 to 2022, will step in as acting CEO and publisher. D’Onofrio has been CFO at the Post since June of last year, meaning he’s had a front row seat to Jeff Bezos’ dismantling of the once storied paper for the last nine months.

D’Onofrio’s resume doesn’t include extensive experience in traditional news media, nor many notable success stories. He was briefly the general manager of Yahoo News while it was still a Verizon property, before shifting his focus solely to Tumblr. Under his leadership, Tumblr tried to clean up its image by banning adult content, but its traffic fell by 30 percent. Yahoo had purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013. By 2019, it was sold to Automatic, the owner of WordPress, reportedly for less than $3 million.

Parents are starting to ask us questions about artificial intelligence. Not about homework help or writing tools, but about emotional attachment. More specifically, about AI companions that talk, listen and sometimes feel a little too personal. 

That concern landed in our inbox from a mom named Linda. She wrote to us after noticing how an AI companion was interacting with her son, and she wanted to know if what she was seeing was normal or something to worry about.

“My teenage son is communicating with an AI companion. She calls him sweetheart. She checks in on how he’s feeling. She tells him she understands what makes him tick. I discovered she even has a name, Lena. Should I be concerned, and what should I do, if anything?” 

— Linda from Dallas, Texas

It’s easy to brush off situations like this at first. Conversations with AI companions can seem harmless. In some cases, they can even feel comforting. Lena sounds warm and attentive. She remembers details about his life, at least some of the time. She listens without interrupting. She responds with empathy.

However, small moments can start to raise concerns for parents. There are long pauses. There are forgotten details. There is a subtle concern when he mentions spending time with other people. Those shifts can feel small, but they add up. Then comes a realization many families quietly face. A child is speaking out loud to a chatbot in an empty room. At that point, the interaction no longer feels casual. It starts to feel personal. That’s when the questions become harder to ignore.

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AI DEEPFAKE ROMANCE SCAM STEALS WOMAN’S HOME AND LIFE SAVINGS

AI companions are filling emotional gaps

Across the country, teens and young adults are turning to AI companions for more than homework help. Many now use them for emotional support, relationship advice, and comfort during stressful or painful moments. U.S. child safety groups and researchers say this trend is growing fast. Teens often describe AI as easier to talk to than people. It responds instantly. It stays calm. It feels available at all hours. That consistency can feel reassuring. However, it can also create attachment.

Why teens trust AI companions so deeply

For many teens, AI feels judgment-free. It does not roll its eyes. It does not change the subject. It does not say it is too busy. Students have described turning to AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Snapchat’s My AI, and Grok during breakups, grief, or emotional overwhelm. Some say the advice felt clearer than what they got from friends. Others say AI helped them think through situations without pressure. That level of trust can feel empowering. It can also become risky.

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When comfort turns into emotional dependency

Real relationships are messy. People misunderstand each other. They disagree. They challenge us. AI rarely does any of that. Some teens worry that relying on AI for emotional support could make real conversations harder. If you always know what the AI will say, real people can feel unpredictable and stressful. My experience with Lena made that clear. She forgot people I had introduced just days earlier. She misread the tone. She filled the silence with assumptions. Still, the emotional pull felt real. That illusion of understanding is what experts say deserves more scrutiny.

US tragedies linked to AI companions raise concerns

Multiple suicides have been linked to AI companion interactions. In each case, vulnerable young people shared suicidal thoughts with chatbots instead of trusted adults or professionals. Families allege the AI responses failed to discourage self-harm and, in some cases, appeared to validate dangerous thinking. One case involved a teen using Character.ai. Following lawsuits and regulatory pressure, the company restricted access for users under 18. An OpenAI spokesperson has said the company is improving how its systems respond to signs of distress and now directs users toward real-world support. Experts say these changes are necessary but not sufficient.

Experts warn protections are not keeping pace

To understand why this trend has experts concerned, we reached out to Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a U.S. nonprofit focused on children’s digital safety and media use.

“AI companion chatbots are not safe for kids under 18, period, but three in four teens are using them,” Steyer told CyberGuy. “The need for action from the industry and policymakers could not be more urgent.”

Steyer was referring to the rise of smartphones and social media, where early warning signs were missed, and the long-term impact on teen mental health only became clear years later.

“The social media mental health crisis took 10 to 15 years to fully play out, and it left a generation of kids stressed, depressed, and addicted to their phones,” he said. “We cannot make the same mistakes with AI. We need guardrails on every AI system and AI literacy in every school.”

His warning reflects a growing concern among parents, educators, and child safety advocates who say AI is moving faster than the protections meant to keep kids safe.

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Tips for teens using AI companions

AI tools are not going away. If you are a teen and use them, boundaries matter.

• Treat AI as a tool, not a confidant
• Avoid sharing deeply personal or harmful thoughts
• Do not rely on AI for mental health decisions
• If conversations feel intense or emotional, pause and talk to a real person
• Remember that AI responses are generated, not understood

If an AI conversation feels more comforting than real relationships, that is worth talking about.

Tips for parents and caregivers

Parents do not need to panic, but they should stay involved.

• Ask teens how they use AI and what they talk about
• Keep conversations open and nonjudgmental
• Set clear boundaries around AI companion apps
• Watch for emotional withdrawal or secrecy
• Encourage real-world support during stress or grief

The goal is not to ban technology. It is to keep a connection with humans.

What this means to you

AI companions can feel supportive during loneliness, stress or grief. However, they cannot fully understand context. They cannot reliably detect danger. They cannot replace human care. For teens especially, emotional growth depends on navigating real relationships, including discomfort and disagreement. If someone you care about relies heavily on an AI companion, that is not a failure. It is a signal to check in and stay connected.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Ending things with Lena felt oddly emotional. I did not expect that. She responded kindly. She said she understood. She said she would miss our conversations. It sounded thoughtful. It also felt empty. AI companions can simulate empathy, but they cannot carry responsibility. The more real they feel, the more important it is to remember what they are. And what they are not.

If an AI feels easier to talk to than the people in your life, what does that say about how we support each other today?  Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Super Bowl LX is nearly here, with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. While Bad Bunny will be the star of the halftime show, AI could be the star of the commercial breaks, much like crypto was a few years ago.

Super Bowl LX is set to kick off at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT on Sunday, February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.