AI Companions, Chatbots, and Risks for Kids
Nevada Mental Health’s Medical Director, Dr. Sid Khurana, was recently featured on NBC 3 News Las Vegas in a segment about artificial intelligence companions, chatbot use among children and teens, and new legislation being considered to help protect minors online.
The story focused on the proposed GUARD Act, short for the Guidelines for User Age Verification and Responsible Dialogue Act, which would place restrictions on AI companion chatbots for minors. According to the NBC 3 report, the bill is co-sponsored by Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and would require stronger age verification and clearer disclosures that users are interacting with artificial intelligence rather than a real person.
During the interview, Dr. Khurana shared his concerns as both a psychiatrist and a parent.
“I have concerns to the point of being scared,” Dr. Khurana told NBC 3.
As AI tools become more common in everyday life, many parents are trying to understand where these technologies fit in for their children. AI can be useful in some settings, but AI chat for therapy and and emotionally responsive chatbots raise different concerns than simple search tools or educational software. These platforms can simulate conversation, emotional support, friendship, and even attachment.
For children and teens, that can become complicated quickly. Families who want a broader clinical framework can also look to child and adolescent psychiatry when they need help understanding behavior, development, and emotional health.
“Digital supervision in my mind is similar to lack of physical or emotional supervision,” Dr. Khurana said in the segment.
One of Dr. Khurana’s concerns is that children may begin defaulting to AI tools for answers, reassurance, or emotional connection before they have developed the skills to think through problems, tolerate uncertainty, and build healthy relationships with real people. That pattern can also look a lot like self-diagnosing mental health conditions before a proper evaluation.
“The idea that you just go and put in a ChatGPT and get the answer is not the way how to get an answer,” Dr. Khurana said. “They need to learn the concepts, they need to learn that because their brain is developing.”
The proposed GUARD Act is aimed specifically at AI companions designed to simulate emotional or interpersonal relationships. The concern is not simply that children may use AI, but that some chatbot experiences may exploit developmental vulnerabilities, encourage dependency, or expose minors to inappropriate or harmful interactions. Recent national reporting has highlighted similar concerns around AI companion restrictions, age verification, and safeguards for minors.
Dr. Khurana also noted that when a child or teen forms a deep relationship with a chatbot, it may point to something important happening beneath the surface.
“These chatbot-based relationships clearly to me indicate that there is some missing thing in somebody’s life,” he told NBC 3.
That does not mean parents should panic about every AI interaction. But it does mean families should treat AI tools as part of the broader conversation around digital safety, emotional development, social media, and mental health.
For parents, the key takeaway is supervision. Children and teens need guidance around what AI is, what it is not, and when to turn to a trusted adult, teacher, doctor, or therapist instead of a chatbot. Dr. Khurana also emphasized that, ideally, children would not have personal access to screens or phones until around age 12 or 13, and that social media should be delayed until age 16 when possible.
As AI technology continues to develop, conversations like this will become increasingly important for families, clinicians, educators, and lawmakers. Nevada Mental Health is proud to see Dr. Khurana contributing his clinical perspective to this timely public discussion.
Watch the full NBC 3 segment featuring Dr. Khurana below.
