WASHINGTON (TNND) — A Senate hearing on Thursday intended to examine how screentime is impacting America's youth quickly turned into a warning from experts about the pervasiveness of artificial intelligence, or AI.

As AI chatbots, toys and learning tools become more accessible to minors, experts have started to publish findings on the how young people utilize AI and how it impacts the "analog" aspects of their lives.

In a survey conducted by the Center for Democracy and Technology last year, 42% of high school students said they or someone they know have used AI for companionship and nearly 20% said they or someone they know had a romantic relationship with AI.

“It is terrifying to think that our kids are having their first relationships with these sycophantic chat bots. How is that going to translate to real human relationships?” San Diego State University Psychology Professor Jean Twenge told members of the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday.

For years, lawmakers in Congress have struggled to keep up with the evolving social media landscape enough to regulate it.

“You here are telling us the problems with social media but you’re basically saying AI is way worse," Commerce Committee Ranking Member Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. told a panel of experts.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: In this photo illustration, a screen displays examples of AI prompt-created videos, made with Xai's Grok app, on January 12, 2026 in London, England. Today the UK communications regulator Ofcom launches a formal investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X regarding its AI chatbot, Grok.{ }The probe centres on reports that Grok has been used to generate non-consensual sexual deepfakes, including "undressed" images of women and sexualised images of children. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

A rising number of lawsuits allege these relationships with AI can turn deadly. During a separate congressional hearing in 2025, Matthew Raine was among the grieving parents whose children died by suicide. Raine said the chatbot his 16-year-old son, Adam, used before his death offered to write a suicide note. He read aloud some of the things the chatbot told his son.

"'You don’t want to die because you’re weak,’ ChatGPT says. ‘You want to die because you’re tired of being strong in a world that hasn’t met you halfway,'" Raine said.

Platforms like ChatGPT have rolled out safety features like harm detection, but, in a rare bipartisan consensus, most lawmakers conclude not nearly enough has been done.

“It’s incredibly hard to be a kid right now," Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.

While members of Congress share a desire to make AI safer for children, there's no consensus on how, especially as a broader goal in Washington is to out-compete Chinese innovation.

On Friday, First Lady Melania Trump spoke publicly about her mission to empower American children to understand and embrace AI responsibly. She urged kids to be "stubbornly curious" and "question everything." The first lady said this technology is "is extending the conceptual in ways never dreamed of before."

"But we must remember, although artificial intelligence can generate images and information, only humans can generate meaning and purpose. Deep thinking, patience, and staying curious are where purpose begins," the first lady said.