AI ≠ Friendship
AI companions offer children affirmation without friction, but real friendship demands effort. Georgetown Day School’s Russell Shaw warns in The Atlantic that true connection grows through struggle, not flattery. Watching third-graders argue and reconcile, he sees how patience and empathy are learned. AI cannot teach this. Overvalidation trains children to expect agreement, not resilience. Tools that aid learning may help, but machines should not become a child’s best friend.