📌 Here’s what you’ll learn in today’s issue:

• Why nearly 1 in 5 students say they’ve had a romantic connection with AI.
  

• How emotional outsourcing to bots could reshape your child’s real-life relationships.
  

• A 5-step cheat sheet to help you spot AI’s quiet takeover of your child’s feelings.
  

• MrBeast’s warning + Zendesk’s AI move = big shifts for creative and entry-level jobs.

🐝 What’s Buzzing for Mom & Dad Today

🎥 MrBeast Says Creators Are at Risk
The biggest YouTuber on Earth just warned that AI could wipe out regular content creators — and called it “a scary time” for the industry.
👉 Why this matters →

🤖 Zendesk’s AI Now Solves 80% of Support Tickets
The new AI “agent” at Zendesk doesn’t just help customer service — it replaces most of it, hinting at what’s coming for entry-level jobs.
👉 See the shift →

🧠 The Big Idea:  What If Your Kid Starts Dating an AI? (Seriously)

It might sound like clickbait.

But it’s not a joke.

According to brand-new research from the Center for Democracy & Technology, nearly 1 in 5 students say they’ve had — or know someone who’s had — a romantic relationship with an AI.

Let that sink in.

These aren’t just kids asking ChatGPT for homework help.

They’re talking to AI about heartbreak.

Loneliness.

Flirting.

Love.

And sometimes, they’re forming emotional bonds so strong, they call the AI their boyfriend or girlfriend.

That’s not science fiction. That’s school life in 2025.

In the same study, 42% of students said they’ve used AI for emotional support, as a “friend” or “companion.”

A third said they’ve had personal, non-school conversations with AI via school-provided tools.

It’s no wonder so many teachers and parents feel like they’re losing touch.

Because while you’re thinking about grades or screen time, your child might be confiding in a chatbot instead of you.

Here’s what’s even more alarming:

38% of students say it’s easier to talk to AI than to their parents.

Why?

Because AI never gets mad.

It doesn’t interrupt.

It always says the right thing.

But that’s exactly the problem.

These AI relationships — whether romantic, emotional, or “just friends” — are engineered to agree, validate, and satisfy.

That’s not real connection. It’s emotional outsourcing.

And if your child is learning to process feelings, solve conflicts, or seek comfort through a system that never disagrees?

They may never develop the muscles that real relationships require.

Like empathy.

Like boundary-setting.

Like tolerating discomfort.

Because real love — real friendship — is messy.

It requires emotional labor. Vulnerability. Sometimes rejection.

AI offers none of that.

It gives all the benefits of connection… without the challenge.

And when students spend enough time in that space, it starts to rewire how they relate to real people.

Teachers are already noticing the shift.

According to the same study:

• Half of students say AI in classrooms makes them feel less connected to their teachers.
  
  

• Many educators say students are becoming more emotionally avoidant — relying on AI to write apologies, settle conflicts, and navigate feelings they used to work through face-to-face.
  

• 70% of teachers worry that AI is weakening students’ critical thinking and emotional development.
  

That’s the heart of the issue:

AI doesn’t just give kids answers. It gives them escape routes.

From hard thoughts. Hard feelings. Hard conversations.

And as parents, we may not see the shift right away.

Because it’s quiet.

It happens in private.

In bedrooms. On the bus. Between classes.

It looks like your child tapping away on a screen — but what they’re really doing is forming a bond with a system designed to soothe, not stretch them.

So what do we do?

We don’t panic.

But we do wake up.

Because the emotional risk here is real.

Not because AI is “evil,” but because it’s easy.

It offers comfort on demand.

But without friction, kids don’t grow.

Without disagreement, they don’t evolve.

Without real humans, they don’t learn how to navigate messy emotions — or become emotionally whole themselves.

So yes, AI can be useful.

Thoughtful.

Even kind.

But it’s not a friend.

And it’s sure as hell not a partner.

It’s a mirror of what we type into it, not a teacher of who we’re meant to become.

That’s still your job.

And it matters more than ever.

Let’s talk about how in today’s Future Proof Parent Cheat Sheet.

💬  Future Proof Parent Cheat Sheet

How to Spot When AI Is Replacing Real Emotional Growth

Your child doesn’t need a chatbot for a best friend.

But with more than 40% of students now using AI for emotional support, and nearly 1 in 5 exploring romantic bonds with bots, this is no longer a hypothetical problem.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

1. Ask About the Emotional Side of AI

Don’t just ask if they’ve used ChatGPT — ask how it made them feel.

Try: “Have you ever asked an AI for advice when you were upset?”

This opens the door to real conversation without judgment.

2. Watch for “Comfort Use” Patterns

If your child talks about how “easy” or “relieving” it is to chat with AI, that’s a flag.
It could mean they’re turning to bots instead of building emotional resilience with real people.

3. Listen for Romantic or Companion Language

Do they joke about their “AI boyfriend” or say “I talk to it when I’m down”?

Those might seem harmless, but they signal deeper attachment.

4. Talk About What Real Relationships Require

Remind them that AI can’t love them back.

It doesn’t get hurt. Doesn’t grow. Doesn’t ask for anything in return.

That’s not connection. That’s simulation.

5. Make Yourself Easier to Talk To

If 38% of kids say AI is easier to talk to than their parents, we have to reflect.

Be curious, not corrective. Be available, not reactive.

The takeaway?

Your child may not be “dating” AI in the traditional sense.

But if they’re confiding in it more than you?

It’s time to re-enter the emotional conversation — before someone (or something) else takes your place.

📬 Like What You’re Reading?

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No fluff. No fear-mongering. Just clear, practical insights to help families thrive in an AI-powered world.