{"id":18188,"date":"2025-10-03T11:50:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T10:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/?p=18188"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:55:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T10:55:07","slug":"ai-and-youth-mental-health-promise-risks-and-ethical-pathways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/2025\/10\/03\/ai-and-youth-mental-health-promise-risks-and-ethical-pathways\/","title":{"rendered":"AI and youth mental health: promise, risks and ethical pathways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AI companions are increasingly being used by young people for emotional support but Adriane Barroso, a psychologist and psychoanalyst specialising in adolescent mental health and Ana Barroso, Partner and Head of Design at A3Data, stress that transparency, ethics and clinical oversight are crucial.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, several studies, including a survey by the Federal Council of Psychology, point to an exponential increase in the use of conversational Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools as emotional support and virtual companions for young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions<\/em>, 72% of teens have used AI as companions at least once and more than half (52%) are regular users who interact with these platforms at least a few times a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, these young people turn to these platforms to seek advice on relationships, trauma, self-esteem or even as a companion in times of isolation or anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly personalized agents, with names, humanoid language and the ability to read the environment have contributed to this phenomenon of creating an apparent link with a Digital Transformation technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This preference for interactions mediated by AI raises an alert about the role of these technologies in the formation of bonding, trust and the perception of emotional support, which makes it imperative that their implementation is done with responsibility, transparency and adequate governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The humanization of these agents, as we have seen, has contributed to the popularity of this technology in emotional support. However, it is essential to ensure that this approach is guided by transparent communication with the user and by explainability frameworks, which allow understanding the logic behind the system’s responses and recommendations, strengthening clinical control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, it is essential to preserve data confidentiality and security, creating mechanisms that trigger human-in-the-loop, a concept that in AI and Machine Learning designates a human professional to actively participate in the decision-making process, supervision or validation of the results produced by algorithms. This approach ensures safety and ethics in the use of automated systems, especially in sensitive areas such as healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the use of digital technologies can contribute to the aggravation of mental health problems, Artificial Intelligence, if used ethically and regulated, has the potential to transform this scenario. In countries like the United States, for example, it is already an integral part of the mental health system, offering everything from automated screenings to 24-hour remote support. This experience reveals both potential and risks, especially when imported without adequate adaptation to the Brazilian reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Brazil, the shortage of mental health professionals is a relevant challenge. Data from the Federal Council of Psychology and the Ministry of Health point to a great inequality in the distribution of psychiatrists and psychologists, with an average of few professionals per inhabitant, especially in remote regions and vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the country also faces high expenses for psychiatric hospitalizations and health interventions, making it even more difficult for most young people and their families to access treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this scenario, digital solutions can help in the early screening of care, in addition to reducing bureaucracy in the health system, as well as training professionals, schools and families to deal with emerging crises. It is essential, however, that this use is guided by rigorous ethics, involving clinical supervision, adequate regulation and the recognition that AI will never replace the human dialogue, empathetic listening and ethical responsibility inherent to clinical practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The North American experience offers important lessons: the over-reliance on AI in a fragmented system that prioritizes profit and efficiency can reinforce exclusions and generate inadequate automatic responses, especially in severe crisis situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the population context of the United States differs greatly from that of Brazil, with a predominantly private health system, while the SUS is the pillar of universal care in the country. As a result, importing the US model without careful criticism and adaptations can widen inequalities and reinforce vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any attempt to incorporate AI into Brazilian mental health must respect the country’s cultural, socioeconomic and structural particularities. Technology, therefore, must act as a complement, promoting more access and efficiency, without replacing the fundamental bond of trust between professional and patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving in this direction requires collective construction, with the participation of health professionals, public managers, civil society and experts in ethics, technology and public policies. Thus, it is possible to transform data into concrete and humane actions that respect Brazilian social diversity, promote comprehensive care and reinforce the relationship of trust between patients and professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the field of health, nothing has yet been invented that can replace the clinical work of listening, responsibility and the relationship between patient and professional. The responsible use of AI is an opportunity to advance prevention, access and quality of care, as long as it is combined with courage, ethics and constant reflection. No algorithm sustains silence, contradiction or ambivalence, essential elements in humanised clinical practice, which only human contact and relationship can offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI companions are increasingly being used by young people for emotional support but Adriane Barroso, a psychologist and psychoanalyst specialising in adolescent mental health and Ana Barroso, Partner and Head of Design at A3Data, stress that transparency, ethics and clinical oversight are crucial. In recent months, several studies, including a survey by the Federal Council […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":18189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4674,78,3],"tags":[99,224,1427,121,6542,3261,6540,950,5125,6541,885,6539],"class_list":["post-18188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","category-healthcare","category-top-stories","tag-ai","tag-brazil","tag-data-governance","tag-digital-transformation","tag-ethics","tag-generative-ai","tag-healthcare-technology","tag-internet","tag-start-ups","tag-transparency","tag-united-states","tag-youth-mental-health"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18188"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18193,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18188\/revisions\/18193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/latam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}