DUNWOODY, GA — A town hall in Dunwoody brought together parents, lawmakers, and experts to address growing concerns over children’s use of artificial intelligence and chatbots.

The event, hosted by State Senator Sally Harrell, focused on the potential dangers of AI-powered platforms and social media on children’s mental health and safety. Harrell, who co-chairs a state study committee examining technology’s impact on kids, said tech companies have made their products intentionally addictive.

“These companies have designed the products to be engaging because I would say engagement equals addiction,” Harrell said. “They’ve on purpose designed these products to be so addictive that there is no off-ramp for the kids.”

The discussion opened with a mother suing a chatbot company, alleging its product contributed to her son’s suicide, setting a somber tone for the evening. Experts on the panel stressed the need for parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity and to have regular, open conversations about technology use.

Casey Stefanski with the Digital Childhood Alliance cautioned parents against letting children interact with AI companion chatbots unsupervised. “Do not allow your child to interact with most AI companion chatbots,” she said, adding that there are no guardrails protecting children from inappropriate or harmful content.

Harrell said the issue extends beyond parental responsibility and requires stronger oversight from lawmakers. “We are heading toward a crisis with our kids, and that’s why we called this town hall,” she said.

WSB Radio’s Michelle Wright contributed to this story.