AI, Deepfakes & the Attachment Economy: Protecting Kids in a Digital World

AI is changing childhood, and the risks go far beyond screen time. What happens when technology stops competing only for your child’s attention and starts competing for their attachment?

In this episode of Family Dialogues with Dr. Burke, psychologist and child-rights expert Julia von Weiler joins Dr. Taniesha Burke to examine what parents need to know about AI, deepfakes, online safety, child privacy, AI chatbots, and digital relationships.

Julia explains why families may need to rethink everything from sharing children’s photos online to allowing kids and teens to build relationships with AI companions. The conversation explores the shift from the “attention economy” to the “attachment economy,” in which AI systems can appear supportive, empathetic, and endlessly available, potentially changing how developing children understand relationships and human connection.

They also discuss AI-generated deepfakes and child sexual abuse material, children’s right to their own image, the risks of “sharenting,” and why parents need to understand technology well enough to guide, not simply restrict their children.

ulia’s practical starting point for overwhelmed parents is simple: examine your own technology habits, talk openly with your children about how they use AI, and intentionally create regular moments of undivided human attention.

Connect with Julia von Weiler

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