AI & Child Development: The Impact on Social-Emotional Skills (w/ Sara Filipčić)
How do we raise emotionally healthy kids in a synthetic world? Sara Filipčić joins us to discuss the impact of AI on child development, the future of education, and why "Resilience" is the #1 skill to teach your children before they enter the AI workforce.
🧠 Whether you’re excited about AI or terrified of it, this episode offers a grounded, research-informed roadmap for parenting in a tech-saturated world.
⚠️ Safety Note:
This episode references suicide, predators, and mental health challenges. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the U.S. for free, confidential support.
⏱ Timestamps:
00:19 – Meet Sara Filipčić
00:59 – Childhood development, cyberbullying, and tech’s impact
01:53 – Teaching emotional intelligence human-to-human and human-to-machine
02:47 – From Croatia to the U.S.
03:03 – Building Humane & the mission of healthy human–machine relationships
04:00 – Why fear-based parenting backfires
05:08 – The dangers of restriction without conversation
07:47 – How to gradually introduce tech in age-appropriate ways
13:21 – AI companions: what parents need to know
18:45 – Loneliness, identity, and anthropomorphism
23:01 – Modeling healthy tech behavior as adults
27:34 – Co-viewing, co-playing, and why it matters
32:47 – Teaching kids to question online content
33:34 – Parental guilt, self-forgiveness, and rebuilding trust
34:05 – Digital citizenship explained (privacy, safety, digital footprints)
36:40 – What Japan can teach us about human–machine symbiosis
41:54 – The future of AI companions and realistic robotics
43:20 – Why self-awareness is the most important skill kids need
47:55 – Final advice for parents
📚 Resources & Links Mentioned:
Find Sara Filipčić:
-Substack: www.substack.com/@humanerobot25
Instagram: www.instagram.com/filipcic.sara/
LinkedIn: / filipcicsara
Website: https://behumane.ai/
Parenting & Tech Resources:
Common Sense Media: age ratings + app guidance (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/)
Gingko: developmental-stage-aware AI with human therapist loop (https://www.gingko.ai/)
Little Otter: teletherapy platform built by mother & daughter duo (https://www.littleotterhealth.com/)
Follow Sara & Dan:
Sara: / saralynneroberts
Dan: / danroberts27
Email: [email protected]