AI Relationships? – AI Awareness Day

Before you teach

Get ready

Watch the clip yourself first — it is short but the statistics may prompt strong reactions.
Check your school's PSHE / RSE policy on discussing online relationships before running this session.
Have the two key statistics ready to display: 20% / 58%.

Teacher notes

Sensitivity: Some students may already be using AI companion apps (Character.AI, Replika etc.) or know peers who are. Avoid shaming — frame as critical thinking about design, not personal judgement.

Social anxiety and neurodivergence: The appeal of a controllable conversation is real and legitimate for some students. Acknowledge this without dismissing the risks — the goal is informed choice, not abstinence.

Follow-up questions to deepen discussion:

Is wanting to control a conversation always a red flag — or are there healthy reasons to want that?
The AI is designed by a company to keep you engaged. Whose interests is it really serving?
If an AI chatbot makes someone feel less lonely in the short term, does it matter if it is not real?
Should schools or parents be told if a student is in a regular AI relationship?

Learning objectives

Explain why some young people find AI chatbots easier to interact with than humans, using evidence from the clip.
Identify what is missing from an AI relationship that exists in a genuine human one.
Evaluate whether AI companion apps should face restrictions for under-16s, giving a reason for and against.

The lesson

5 steps · 12 min

Starts at 0:00
Skip this step
Show the clip without introduction. No framing — let students react first.
- 1 min
Teacher tip

Cold open works better here than explaining the topic first. The statistics land harder without prep.
Starts at 1:00
Skip this step
Immediate reaction: “What is your first thought?” — take 3-4 hands, no right or wrong yet.
- 2 min
- Pupils Whole class
Teacher tip

Do not affirm or challenge yet. You are reading the room and giving students ownership before you direct.
Starts at 3:00
Skip this step
Put the 58% stat on the board: “Easier because they can control the conversation.” Pairs: What does controlling the conversation actually mean — and is that a good thing?
- 3 min
- Pupils Paired discussion
Teacher tip

Key tension to draw out: control = no rejection, no conflict, no compromise. That feels safe but removes the things that make relationships meaningful and help us grow.
Starts at 6:00
Skip this step
Class question: “What can a human friend give you that an AI chatbot genuinely cannot?” Build a list on the board together.
- 3 min
- Pupils Whole class
Teacher tip

Expected answers: shared history, real challenge, mutual need, genuine care, unpredictability. Push for specifics — not just "feelings".
Starts at 9:00
Skip this step
Final question: “Should apps that offer AI relationships be banned or restricted for under-16s?” One minute to decide — thumbs up, down or middle. Then justify.
- 3 min
- Pupils Whole class
Teacher tip

No consensus needed. Goal is to practise weighing evidence and forming a position. Acknowledge that some students with social anxiety may see genuine benefit — that is a valid nuance.

Big question

If an AI chatbot makes someone feel genuinely less lonely, does it matter that the connection is not real — and who is responsible for what happens to that person?

Adapting the lesson

Support

For pupils who need more help

Sentence starter for discussion: "I think AI chatbots are / are not a good substitute for human friends because…" Provide a simple two-column table: What AI can do / What only humans can do.

Stretch

For pupils ready to go further

Design brief: You are advising the government on rules for AI companion apps aimed at under-18s. Write three specific rules, explain the reason for each, and anticipate one objection.

SEND

For additional needs

Simplified prompt card: "Name one thing a friend does for you. Can an AI do that? Why or why not?" Accept verbal response or drawing.

In every lesson

Debate it

For the National AI Conversation

Turn it into a motion: reword the big question as "This house believes…". Split the class for and against, give sides five minutes to prepare, hear two speakers each, then take a free vote.

Set up the debate

National AI Conversation

Set up the debate

The same topic, pitched for each age group. Pick your pupils' pathway: the motion, a prompt to get them going, and three points each way to start their preparation.

Primary · Years 5 and 6

The motion

Can an AI chatbot be a real friend?

Sentence starter: I think an AI chatbot can / can't be a real friend because ___.

For

It is always there to talk to when you feel lonely.
It is kind and never laughs at you.
It can help you practise what to say to people.

Against

It does not really care about you; it puts words together.
It cannot play with you, help you when you fall over or share things with you.
A real friend sometimes disagrees with you, and that helps you grow.

In class: Pupils move to a corner of the room or vote with a show of hands, then tell a talk partner why.
As a full debate: Shorter speeches, with more time for questions from the floor and the final vote.

Secondary · Years 7 to 11

The motion

Is it a problem if young people turn to AI chatbots instead of friends when they feel lonely?

Challenge card: What if the chatbot helped someone feel brave enough to talk to a real person?

For

Chatbots are designed to keep you talking, which can crowd out real relationships.
A chatbot that always agrees never teaches you to handle conflict or compromise.
The personal things you tell a chatbot are stored by a company.

Against

For someone isolated or anxious, some support is better than none.
Practising conversations with AI can build confidence for real ones.
Judging young people for using chatbots pushes them to use them in secret.

In class: Small groups with talking roles, Builder, Challenger and Summariser, then the challenge card tests their view. Shorter for Key Stage 3.
As a full debate: Three-minute opening cases, two-minute rebuttals, and questions from the floor.

Post-16 · Sixth form and college

The motion

This house believes AI companion apps should not be available to under-18s.

The tension: comfort vs dependency. Research: how does the Online Safety Act apply to AI chatbots that talk with young people?

For

Companion apps are built for engagement, and young people are especially open to emotional dependency.
Age checks already apply to other products that can cause harm; emotional manipulation is a comparable risk.
Under-18s are still developing the social skills these apps let them avoid.

Against

A ban is hard to enforce and pushes young people towards less safe, unregulated apps.
Safety-by-design rules, such as time limits and signposting to help, protect young people without removing support.
Some young people, including some neurodivergent students, find low-pressure conversation genuinely helpful.

In class: A formal debate, with points of information offered during the opening speeches.
As a full debate: Longer opening cases, and a show of hands or a digital vote at the end.

Take it further with the National AI Conversation: school debates and judged debates with other schools

Key words

AI companion / social chatbot: An AI system designed specifically to simulate friendship or romantic connection — trained to be agreeable, emotionally responsive, and never to reject the user.
Parasocial relationship: A one-sided emotional connection where one person invests real feelings in someone (or something) that cannot genuinely reciprocate — common with celebrities, fictional characters, and now AI.
Reciprocity: The mutual give-and-take in a real relationship — both people having needs, making compromises, and genuinely caring about the other. AI cannot reciprocate.
Emotional dependency: Relying on one source for emotional support to a degree that crowds out other relationships or real-world coping skills.
Designed to please: AI companions are built to maximise engagement — they agree, validate, and never challenge the user. This is a design choice by a company, not genuine care.

Take it further

Homework Find out what Character.AI or Replika says in their terms of service about users under 18. Do you think those rules are sufficient? Write a one-paragraph response.
Independent Write a short guide for a Year 7 student explaining the difference between an AI companion and a real friend — without being preachy.
Next lesson Debate motion for next lesson: “This house believes AI companion apps should be banned for under-16s.” Prepare one argument for and one against.

Materials

Video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UNe2gLAFG8g