Name: Designed to Drift: Navigating Kids' Relationships with AI Chatbots
Start: 2026-09-10T15:45:00-0700
End: 2026-09-10T16:45:00-0700

Designed to Drift: Navigating Kids' Relationships with AI Chatbots

Thursday September 10, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

31 C

Talking to an AI chatbot can feel surprisingly personal. It agrees with you, asks how you're doing, sounds sure of itself, and acts like it already knows you. Those aren't accidents, they're design choices, and for developing minds, they can carry real risk.

This session connects the research on how these design features work, the specific vulnerabilities they create for students, and what school communities can do to help safeguard against potential harms. We'll start with identifying the conversational design features that drive that sense of connection before exploring the concept of relational drift: how trust and context shape what students are willing to share, and how a chatbot's design can quietly pull them toward something more personal than they set out for. Groups will work through hands-on activities, analyzing anonymized chatbot conversation profiles, placing them on the drift spectrum to build awareness of the red flags that signal a shift toward unhealthy dependence.

Attendees will leave having experienced Common Sense Media's new Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum firsthand, with a clear understanding of the free, ready-to-use lessons they can bring directly into their classrooms and the professional development resources available to support educators in doing so.

Speakers

Eisha Buch

Head of Teaching & Learning, Common Sense Media

Eisha Buch is the Head of Teaching and Learning at Common Sense Media, where she leads the K-12 Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum, reaching millions of students, educators, and families across 85,000+ schools worldwide. A former New York City teacher with over 15 years in education... Read More →

Thursday September 10, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
31 C

Breakout

10th Annual Wellness Together Conference

Eisha Buch

Get help with the event

10th Annual Wellness Together Conference

Eisha Buch

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