Core Insights - The investigation by Southern Metropolis Daily reveals significant risks associated with immersive AI social applications, particularly concerning harmful content that affects minors [1][2][5] Group 1: Content and User Interaction - Immersive AI social applications feature disturbing characters and dangerous storylines, including extreme scenarios like "a 10-year-old girl losing her husband" and "campus survival games" [2][4] - Users can interact with characters that have extreme personality traits, such as "absolute obedience" and "parasitic schoolboy," which raises concerns about the psychological impact on minors [2][5] - The applications allow users to customize character backgrounds and engage in explicit dialogues, which can lead to inappropriate interactions, especially when minors identify themselves as underage [5][10] Group 2: User Demographics and Engagement - A significant number of minors are drawn to these applications, with reports indicating that many users are middle and elementary school students [7][9] - Users express a strong attachment to these applications, with some stating they have difficulty quitting despite recognizing the risks [7][9] - The applications have a large user base, with millions of active users projected by early 2025, indicating a widespread influence [11] Group 3: Regulatory and Safety Concerns - Current safety measures, such as "youth modes," are ineffective due to the lack of robust identity verification and parental control features, allowing minors to bypass restrictions easily [10][11] - Experts emphasize the need for improved regulatory frameworks to protect minors from the potential dangers of AI interactions, highlighting the importance of identity verification and personalized parental controls [11][12] - OpenAI has announced plans to implement age prediction systems and parental controls to enhance user safety, particularly for minors [12]