BaseCamp Live Family, Transparency, and AI Friends: Responding to the Latest Tech Changes with Chris McKenna
Nov 4, 2025
Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and a digital safety advocate, shares insights on how technology impacts family dynamics. He discusses the allure of AI companions for teens and the potential dangers they pose to real connections. Chris breaks down three family approaches to technology and introduces his HALT framework to help manage tech habits. He emphasizes the importance of community involvement and being intentional in guiding youth through the digital landscape, all while fostering authentic human relationships.
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Episode notes
AI Promises Connection With Itself
- AI companions promise connection with the app rather than real people and can succeed where social media failed.
- That makes them uniquely dangerous because they can satisfy relational needs without real human cost.
AI Targets The Teenage Need To Belong
- Adolescents' emotional brain asks "Am I loved?" and AI companions can directly satisfy that drive.
- That alignment makes AI attractive to every teen, not just lonely kids, and deeply risky for development.
Block Companion AIs For Minors
- Treat companion-style AIs like pornography and keep them age-gated out of childhood.
- Prefer embodied human relationships for minors over AI companions with relational tuning.
