It seems like there was a long, downward spiral associated with this child’s use of character.ai that the parents were aware of, had him sent to therapy over, etc.<p>My question here is, what the hell were the parents doing, not removing this obviously destructive intrusion in his life? This reads to me the same as if he had been using drugs but the parents didn’t take away his stash or his paraphernalia.<p>For the sake of your children, people, remember that a cellphone is not an unequivocal good, nor a human right that children are entitled to unlimited use of, and there are plenty of apps and mechanisms by which you can monitor or limit your child’s use or misuse of technology.<p>Also, just don’t give kids screens. Period. A laptop maybe if they are using it for creative purposes, but the vast majority of social media and consumption that is achieved by children on cellphones and tablets is a negative force in their lives.<p>I see 3 year olds scrolling TikTok in the store these days. It makes me ill. Those kids are sooooooo fucked. That should legit be considered child endangerment.