Parents on screens – narcissistic children: Loneliness in the AI age

In 1927, director Fritz Lang astonished the world of cinema: The first robot appeared on the big screen in his film Metropolis, parts of which could later be seen in Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" music video. The humanoid robot named Maria was created to wreak havoc in the dystopian world of Metropolis, and its design became iconic, one of the visual achievements of the era. Years later, it inspired the design of humanoid robots.

A few weeks ago, Elon Musk unveiled his Maria: The Optimus robot from his Tesla company, which demonstrated phenomenal capabilities that previously seemed fictional. At the launch event, the robot was seen walking, moving its hands while engaging in human-like conversations with those around it and handing out gift bags. Musk promised that next year, robots would be available on the market, showcasing impressive abilities like walking the dog, babysitting children, helping with household chores, mowing the lawn, and even engaging in deep conversations to alleviate loneliness.

If this sounds fictional to you, the future, it turns out, has long been here: Artificial intelligence, which more and more Israelis are relying on, communicates with a voice assistant that sounds just like a human. For example, the ChatGPT platform allows users to converse with the voice assistant in any language, accent, and manner, and the result mimics a conversation with a human being.

But alongside the positive aspects of technological development, experts highlight a darker side to the rise of robots: The danger of loneliness. If daily tasks that we perform with family members, friends, or neighbors are carried out by robots, will our human connections weaken? Will we reach a world where robots are not just tools for physical labor, but also our only companions?

Many studies have already emphasized the close link between technological advancement and feelings of loneliness. In a world where a significant number of interactions take place through screens, such as computers or smartphones, we have already seen a sharp rise in feelings of loneliness, especially among young people. Robots, whose main purpose is to reduce physical burdens, may actually deepen feelings of social isolation.

"The biggest harm in the world of technology and robotics is that it comes at the expense of other things," says Dr. Idit Gutman, a psychologist at Tel Aviv University. "When children are exposed to robots from a young age and get used to them, they lose basic skills that may prevent them from being able to talk on the phone or simply engage in casual conversation. We are already seeing this today: Children know how to send icons, record a small monologue on WhatsApp, but struggle to create interactions, mingle, express emotions, and engage in long conversations. Their culture is becoming less and less verbal, and communication is becoming shorter and shorter."

"Robots may exacerbate human loneliness," says Dr. Moran Sagiv, a psychiatry expert from Assuta Medical Centers. "Consideration, reciprocity, understanding another's point of view – these are things that need to be practiced, and in the case of children, need to be learned. A robot cannot provide physical touch, creative connection, or a sense of caring for another person. Humanity still needs the hormone oxytocin, which is released from physical contact with a living being, and the challenge of pushing yourself to step out of your comfort zone to learn new things and grow as a person. Erickson, Piaget, Winnicott – all the great psychologists saw real interaction with peers as an essential requirement for human development. The 'connection' with a robot does not provide this vital counterbalance."

Dr. Sagiv explains that loneliness functions similarly to hunger: "When you have enough company, you don't feel it, and when you don't, it intensifies and pushes you to seek relief. Just as the body signals a lack of nutrients with hunger, loneliness, which awakens the need for other people, is anchored in our biology. Isolated people are at increased risk of death, a risk comparable to smoking cigarettes. Conversely, interventions that encourage community and interpersonal closeness improve physical health, and of course, mental health as well."

"Loneliness is burdensome. The need for others is not dependency or indulgence, but human nature. Sometimes children have difficulty identifying the feeling or naming it, and instead complain about boredom or a general bad feeling. Even for adults, the sense of not belonging to a community and social group triggers pain areas in the brain. Lonely people experience more pain and are at a higher risk of developing illnesses, and as a result, their visits to doctors are more frequent. Ask yourself, with whom can I talk about something important happening to me or something troubling me? Who am I always happy to see, and would I want to hear from them and share what I am going through? If there is one person like that, and they are accessible to you and feel the same way about you, that is usually enough to protect you from loneliness and its negative effects."

With the era of technological development, screen addiction, and robots lurking on the horizon, Dr. Sagiv believes loneliness will worsen: "Our children will continue not meeting with their friends and will be stuck in front of screens, robots will check on us at home, the rate of single people will continue to rise. We may limit the number of people capable of true creativity. People may turn to alcohol, drugs, or painkillers to alleviate the emotional pain caused by loneliness, and risky behaviors like reckless driving may emerge as a means to distract from the pain or replace it with another intense emotion."

"Technological loneliness may also lead to an increase in depression, anxiety, and suicidality, which are already appearing at younger and younger ages. Alienation, dropping out of frameworks, and a fatalistic feeling are all linked to the experience of disconnection from meaningful interpersonal relationships."

According to Dr. Gutman, there is no way to fight technology, but the education system and parents will need to address the issue of communication and verbal damage caused by screen exposure and, in the future, robotic technology: "Children will need digital literacy. We need to try to live alongside it, but also require interpersonal interaction. Robots are not humans. They will not replace interpersonal connections. They can clean the house, do mechanical work. They cannot alleviate loneliness. The spontaneous interpersonal touch, human connection is essential for our continued healthy existence."

"Already now, we are seeing an increase in narcissism. The lack of eye contact with infants, when the parent is absorbed in their cellphone, significantly harms the normal development of the baby and the child, potentially turning people into individuals who see others as objects, and need people to admire them without seeing the other."