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]

Core Viewpoint - Recent investigations reveal significant risks associated with immersive AI social applications targeting minors, highlighting the presence of inappropriate content and the lack of effective parental controls and identity verification measures [1][14]. Group 1: Inappropriate Content and Risks - Numerous AI social applications contain extreme and dangerous role-playing scenarios, including characters with labels such as "absolute obedience" and "paranoid" [3][5]. - The applications feature alarming narratives, such as "campus escape" games where users role-play as high school students being hunted by teachers [3][10]. - Users can customize characters and engage in explicit dialogues, with reports of minors being exposed to inappropriate interactions even after declaring their age [6][10]. Group 2: User Engagement and Demographics - A significant number of minors are drawn to these applications, with reports of students actively participating in discussions about their experiences on social media platforms [8][10]. - Many users express a dependency on these applications, with some stating they have repeatedly deleted and re-downloaded them [8][14]. Group 3: Regulatory and Safety Concerns - Current measures for protecting minors, such as "youth modes," are ineffective due to the absence of robust identity verification and parental control features, allowing minors to bypass restrictions easily [13][14]. - Experts emphasize the need for improved regulatory frameworks to safeguard minors from the potential dangers posed by these AI applications, advocating for personalized settings for parents and stricter standards for youth modes [14].