At a time when students are lonelier than ever—spending 66% less in-person time with friends than a decade ago and with 1 in 3 saying they have no one to turn to when they’re struggling—many are turning to AI for advice, comfort, and even companionship. In Clayful’s recent webinar, educators, mental health experts, and district leaders came together to explore a critical question: How do we guide kids through the age of AI without replacing the human connection they need to thrive? What followed was an honest, nuanced conversation about loneliness, emotional atrophy, student agency, and why empathy—not algorithms—must remain at the center of how we support young people.

The conversation featured a diverse panel of voices who are living this work every day:

• Morgan Nugent, Superintendent of Fall River Joint Unified School District (CA), and contributor to California’s statewide AI policy work in education.
• Alison Lee, Chief R&D Officer at The Rithm Project, leading national research on AI, youth agency, and creator of the SPARK Toolkit for AI & connection.
• Joni Stamford, Licensed professional counselor, mindfulness teacher, and author of the upcoming book The AI Antidote: Preserving Human Connection in a Tech-Driven World.‍
• Maria Barrera, Founder & CEO of Clayful, moderating the discussion and sharing insights from thousands of real student coaching conversations.

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You can watch the full recording here:

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Why This Conversation Matters Right Now

We are living at the intersection of a loneliness crisis and a rapid rise in AI companionship tools—and students are caught in the middle.

• Time spent in-person with friends has dropped 66% in the last decade, from over two hours to less than 45 minutes a day.
• Nearly 1 in 3 teens say they have no one to turn to when they’re struggling.
• 3 in 4 teens use AI for social or emotional support, and over half say they do so regularly.
• Early research from MIT and OpenAI shows that AI can reduce feelings of loneliness—but increases isolation and time spent alone.

Clayful founder and CEO Maria Barrera opened the webinar with this framing:

“We’re more connected than ever—and yet our kids have never felt more alone. AI is stepping into that gap. The question isn’t if they’ll use it—it’s what role we want it to play in their lives.”

Key Themes & Takeaways

1. Why Students Are Turning to AI

Panelists agreed: students aren’t using AI just to cheat or finish homework—they’re using it to feel heard.

Alison Lee shared research from The Rithm Project:

• Teens say they use AI because “it doesn’t judge me… it won’t get mad… I don’t feel like a burden.”
• Students most likely to use AI emotionally are those who already feel lonely, left out, or afraid of being a burden to others.

She added:

“AI is good at easing loneliness—but it’s also quietly scaling isolation.”

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2. The Power of Real Human Connection

Maria shared Clayful’s real-world experience supporting thousands of students with human coaches—not bots.

Top reasons students reach out to Clayful coaches:

• Academic stress
• Friendship drama
• Family dynamics
• Heartbreak & relationships
• Future worries and identity
• And often—just needing someone to listen

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And what do students say afterward?

“They talked to me like a real person.”

“You made my lonely night a little less cold.”

“They didn’t write like a robot.”

“Thank you for spending time with me.”

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Maria noted:

“Students can tell the difference. They might use AI for quick answers—but they crave real empathy when it matters.”

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3. The Risks of Replacing Humans with Chatbots

Joni Stamford, therapist and author of The AI Antidote, warned of emotional skill “atrophy”:

“If kids outsource hard conversations and uncomfortable feelings to AI, their emotional muscles weaken—just like skipping the gym.”

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Morgan Nugent, superintendent, added:

“The real danger is when a student starts to believe: the only thing that has time for me is a bot. If we send that message, what are we telling them about their worth?”

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4. Building Student Agency—Not Avoiding AI

Banning AI isn’t realistic or helpful. Instead, students need skills and values to decide:

• When is AI useful?
• When is it replacing real connection?
• How does it align with my values?

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Resources shared to help:

• Rithm Project’s SPARK Toolkit — conversation cards & activities to explore AI, connection, ethics, and agency.
• Joni’s “Principles for Intentional AI Use” — values-based guidelines like “use your human brain first,” “co-create, don’t outsource.
• Child Trend's AI Risk Framework — a research-based tool to help schools and families assess potential risks and benefits of youth AI use across mental health, education, and equity.‍
• ‍Common Sense Media's AI Literacy lessons — ready-to-use classroom lessons that teach students how AI works, its ethical implications, and how to use it responsibly.

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5. Equity & Community Contexts Matter

AI access, support, and risks don’t look the same in every community.

Morgan explained:

• In rural areas, many students don’t have broadband or devices at home—so human connection often remains stronger.
• In urban or high-tech settings, students may have more access to AI—but fewer adults helping them use it well.
• First-generation students may use AI because their parents or caregivers can’t help them navigate it or understand it at all.

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Alison added:

“Whether a student has an adult who understands AI—and can guide them—is an equity issue. Access to mentorship is just as important as access to technology.”

Final Thought

Maria closed the session with this reflection:

“AI isn’t going away. But neither is the power of a human who listens—who holds space, without judgment, when a student needs it most. Our job is to make sure our kids never have to choose between the two.”

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It was a rich conversation so we'll be creating a series of blogs on each topic. We'll link the blogs below as they're published.