The US Needs a New Suicide Prevention Plan That Tackles Social Media and AI

The United States is racing to roll out machines that don’t care if our kids live or die, but our strategy to combat the nation’s suicide crisis doesn’t adequately reflect it.

Artificial intelligence and social media are not neutral tools. They are shaping how an entire generation sees itself and the world around it, with research linking heavy social media use to higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide among young people.

Now, AI chatbots are entering that same space with potentially even greater power and less accountability.

The story of sixteen-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide after interacting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, shows what is at stake, but he is not the only one. Around the world, parents and lawmakers are raising alarm about the psychological harm these technologies can cause and how quickly they are advancing beyond oversight or regulation.