Adolescents & Anthropomorphic AI: Rethinking Design for Wellbeing An Evidence-Informed Synthesis for Youth Wellbeing and Safety
This work addresses the critical need for safe and beneficial AI design for adolescents, bridging developmental science and industry practice to inform policy and product development.
This report examines the implications of conversational AI for adolescents, focusing on how AI design can support youth wellbeing and safety. It proposes non-negotiable guardrails and highlights anthropomorphism as a design lever for risk mitigation, aiming to support adolescents' autonomy and skill development.
Conversational AI has become part of adolescents' everyday lives. This report asks: what does AI owe adolescents when it can speak to them like a social partner? The synthesis bridges the gap between developmental science and industry practice through consultations, a behavioral framework, and global policy dialogue. It identies non- negotiable guardrails and highlights the role of anthropomorphism as a design lever for risk mitigation, ensuring systems support adolescents' autonomy and skill development.