We worry social media is unsafe for children, yet we put AI chatbots in their classrooms

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Cite

White, C. (2026, September 6). We worry social media is unsafe for children, yet we put AI chatbots in their classrooms. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/we-worry-social-media-is-unsafe-for-children-yet-we-put-ai-chatbots-in-their-classrooms/article_66db1dfe-7b4c-4ba6-b6bb-ff56b1d20b9d.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-06 · by Calvin White

Quick Summary

The article argues that allowing AI chatbots in schools, particularly for children as young as 13, is a contradictory and damaging decision, given the efforts to restrict minors' access to social media due to its negative effects on their well-being. The author highlights that while governments are trying to protect children from online harms, schools are introducing technology designed to build close relationships with users, potentially replacing human interactions. According to the article, this will hinder children's ability to learn about themselves and others through real relationships, leading to reduced emotional growth and increased AI dependence. No specific numbers or statistics are mentioned in the article.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-06, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

School boards in British Columbia and Canada have allowed the use of AI chatbots in classrooms, despite concerns about social media safety for children. This decision seems contradictory, given that governments have enacted laws to prevent minors from accessing social media due to its potential harm. In fact, lawsuits against Meta and tech giants claim billions in damages over online harms to children, including addiction. Meanwhile, some schools had previously banned cellphones due to their negative impact on learning and student well-being. Now, school districts are placing AI chatbots in the hands of students as young as 13, claiming it's in their best interest. The author argues that this decision is "idiotic" and potentially destructive, suggesting that chatbots can be just as damaging to children's minds and well-being as social media.

Written for “AI in Schools Controversy” on 2026-10-23, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 AI in Schools Controversy
Education · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 9287 article(s) · 25 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 25 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Calvin White
1 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The more a child engages with and then builds such a relationship, the more it will shape how they see the world and what they will do in life.
2026-09-06 · assertive framing · We worry social media is unsafe for children, yet we put AI chatbots in their classrooms
The only article under this byline in the corpus.

Topics

British Columbia Canada Meta

Subjects

Canada GPE · 2× British Columbia GPE · 1× Meta ORG · 1×

Narrative

Another school year is upon us, and for anyone with school-aged kids — for anyone who actually cares about the well-being of children — the decision to allow the use of chatbots by school boards in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada ought to bring mass public protests.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-06
🔮 The more a child engages with and then builds such a relationship, the more it will shape how they see the world and what they will do in life.
2026-09-06 · Toronto Star
We worry social media is unsafe for children, yet we put AI chatbots in their classrooms · assertive framing

Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)

Another school year is upon us, and for anyone with school-aged kids — for anyone who actually cares about the well-being of children — the decision to allow the use of chatbots by school boards in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada ought to bring mass public protests. asserted
decision → age → protests
Governments in Canada and worldwide are enacting “laws” to prevent those under 16 from accessing social media because of the range of detriment and danger with that ubiquitous relationship. asserted
Governments → enact → relationship
Before any of that, school districts “banned” cellphone use in schools, no longer being able to ignore how damaging they were to the kids’ learning and lives. asserted
they → ban → learning
And now, mind-blowingly, key arbiters in school districts have decided to actually place the most advanced killer of young minds — and arguably their well-being — directly into the hands of students as young as 13. asserted
arbiters → decide → 13
And, they declare doing so is in the kids’ best interest. asserted
doing → declare → interest
Chatbots are openly designed to build close and ingratiating relationships with users. asserted
Chatbots → design → users
Having learned from mining all the most advanced research, including data from the tech usage of billions, this relationship building is powerfully skilled. asserted
building → learn → billions
The result for all of us and, disastrously for our kids in all their vulnerability, is a devoted super friend who knows us, listens to us and offers unconditional acceptance whenever we need it. asserted
we → know → it
We want laws to protect children under 16 from human relationships yet hand powerful AI companions that can replace human relationships entirely — to kids starting at 13 years of age. asserted
that → want → age
The foundation of a child’s development right through to adulthood is learning about themselves and others through real relationships with real people. asserted
foundation → learn → people
We grow through human contact and interaction. asserted
We → grow → contact
Emotional growth depends on real relationship with parents, family, friends, peers and trusted adults. asserted
growth → depend → parents
They offer advice, connection and have unlimited answers to every question without judgment. asserted
They → offer → judgment
The more a child engages with and then builds such a relationship, the more it will shape how they see the world and what they will do in life. asserted
they → engage → life
Other vital needs for kids’ development are to progressively explore, problem-solve, build resourcefulness, independently decision-make, weigh options, and learn from mistakes, all of which grows their identity and self-confidence. asserted
all → explore → identity
Chatbots and overuse of technology reduce all of those, and threaten to replace them. asserted
Chatbots → reduce → them
The growing of brain muscles with which kids figure things out themselves will be over. asserted
kids → figure → things
AI-dependence is assured. asserted
dependence → assure → ?
Plagiarism has always been regarded as a taboo, yet somehow having a chatbot add insight, nuance, innovative directions and suggestions — as well as rewrites — is now acceptable. asserted
chatbot → regard → insight
When teachers can no longer tell whose work they are reading, assignments lose meaning. asserted
assignments → tell → meaning
When there is no personal investment or ownership, nothing is learned. asserted
nothing → be → ?
Allowing chatbots or any AI in school sends the message that unrestricted AI is not only acceptable, it is endorsed. asserted
it → allow → message
When the authority of the school — arguably the most powerful in a child’s development — says yes to a chatbot relationship, the die is cast. asserted
die → say → relationship
And it is the children in the care of our schools who will pay the price. asserted
who → pay → price
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