The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Adolescent Psychological Adaptations: A Critical Examination of Social, Emotional, and Identity Development

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into daily life, prompting a critical examination of its influence on adolescent psychological development. This presentation explores how AI impacts the social, emotional, and identity development of young people, drawing from empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and practical observations.

Key Areas of Focus:

1. Social Development: AI shapes adolescent social interactions, relationships, and community dynamics. It influences peer dynamics, communication patterns, and the acquisition of social skills crucial for development.
2. Emotional Development: AI impacts emotional regulation, mental health, and overall well-being. It can support emotional growth through AI-driven mental health tools while potentially exacerbating issues like anxiety and depression.
3. Identity Development: AI influences self-identity and personal values formation. It affects how adolescents perceive themselves, their bodies, and their exploration of identity during a formative life stage.

This presentation provides a comprehensive understanding of AI’s implications on adolescent development, addressing both benefits and challenges. It offers practical recommendations for educators, parents, psychologist, and policymakers to foster healthy psychological adaptation in the AI era. Emphasising digital literacy, balanced technology use, and meaningful human-AI interactions is crucial for enhancing developmental outcomes.

Interactive Activity: "AI Scenarios: Fact or Fiction?"

I aim to incorporate an interactive element into my presentation designed to engage the audience in critical thinking about AI's influence on adolescent psychology. The objective of this interactive activity is to have participants evaluate scenarios related to AI’s role in social media algorithms, AI therapy apps, and virtual reality. Participants will decide whether each scenario represents a "Fact" based on current AI capabilities or "Fiction" as hypothetical situations.

Audience participation will be encouraged through polls in virtual settings or hand-raising in-person to gather opinions. Following the presentation of each scenario, discussions will focus on the psychological implications for adolescents, ethical concerns regarding AI applications, and audience insights and reactions. The activity will conclude with a summary of key insights, emphasising AI's potential impacts on adolescent psychology and the importance of ethical considerations in its development and implementation.

In the past year, we have been exposed to the A.I. tools which are supposed to revolutionise productivity and create numerous advancements to traditional technologies and workplaces.

The negative sides of this technology are emerging (If not already predicted) including disrupting various organizations and professional services, especially in the financial, marketing, and technology spaces, with concerning potential to displace various workforces, disrupt industry and economies.

Little has been discussed or researched to the potential impact of A.I. tool on human psychology, relationships and social psychology.

With an ever increasing utilisation and reliance of social media and electronic devices to facilitate communication, which are the fundamental glue to society, the possibilities of having A.I, to rapidly transform visual, audio and written information, with the ability to create enormous content with questionable authenticity is a pressing concern. This has a fundamental impact on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities and societies as a whole.

On a day to day level, we are seeing content that is fabricated to the point where it is difficult to decipher its authenticity. The content can be indistinguishable from original content, with vast improvements and investments in deep fake, manufactured images, targeted content and algorithms directed to artificially navigate content, based not on individual choices, but targeted to attract and retain attention for revenue streams.

As a Psychologist, the most concerning impact of A.I. is a significant threat to people and society, as this technology has the ability to 'dilute' or 'flood' information with a veil of authenticity. People using this technology can disrupt one of the most fundamental elements of our society, the ability to Trust.

In the field of Psychology, if the fundamental human ability to trust one another if disrupted, monetized, monopolized, or manipulated, will create a seismic shift to the equity and access of our societies.

This paper starts to address some of the global challenges of A.I. to human and social experience. We are inviting discussion and exploring the impact of A.I. in the field of Psychology and mental health