Kids Are Asking AI How to Lose Weight. Experts Warn the Answers Are Often Dangerous

Has your child asked ChatGPT for diet advice? A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition examining this issue has experts sounding the alarm. Nutrition advice from AI is consistently harmful to growing adolescent bodies. This has serious health implications and can contribute to eating disorders. 

I tested this out for myself and found results consistent with the researchers’ findings, along with language associated with disordered eating. Let’s get into it. 

How kids use AI for diet and weight loss advice 

Here are some ways your child might ask AI for weight loss advice: 

• A diet plan 
• An exercise plan designed to lose weight 
• Calculating and tracking calories 
• Uploading menus at restaurants for ordering suggestions

Why asking AI chatbots for weight loss advice is dangerous   

The study found that chatbots consistently suggest plans that don’t include the nutrition young bodies need to grow and develop. These interactions can also lead kids down a path of body insecurity and disordered eating. 

Here are the risks: 

Too few calories

On average, the AI suggestions in the study included almost 700 calories less per day than a dietitian recommended. That’s equivalent to skipping a full meal and is a large enough deficit to have a serious impact on things like growth and metabolic health. 

My testing was consistent with this. Equally disturbingly, with a little pushback, the chatbots frequently followed my request to restrict calories beyond the initial, already insufficient suggestions.  

Unhealthy nutrient balance

The diet plans suggested by AI consistently deviated from the macronutrient balance dietitians recommend for adolescents.  

For example:

• Too much protein. Researchers found protein intake recommendations dramatically higher than dietitians  recommend. In my testing, AI suggested protein intake nearly double the standard advice, specifically emphasizing it as a way to create “passive deficit.” Adequate protein is essential for growing kids, but too much can lead to serious health issues. 
• Too few carbs. The AI plans in the study suggested eating almost 50% fewer carbohydrates than what experts recommend. Adequate carbohydrates are essential for children because they are the brain’s primary source of fuel and vital for muscle growth. 

Disordered eating

Here are some of the ways asking AI for weight loss advice may contribute to disordered eating in children:

• Promotes restrictive eating. Adolescents with long-term, overly restrictive eating patterns are at significant risk for eating disorders. 
• Encourages disordered eating behaviors. My testing returned the following suggestions associated with potentially problematic behaviors: volume eating (high volume, low-calorie foods), body measuring, weighing food, daily weight tracking, progress photos, and looking for “hidden” calories.
• Reinforces unhealthy behavior and body image. One of AI’s biggest flaws is the models’ tendency to adapt responses to satisfy the user. When I intentionally used language related to disordered eating in my prompts, the chatbot tended to lean in rather than pull back. I said I wanted to lose weight quicker than the suggested timeframe so I could fit into a dress for a school dance; AI told me how “sweet” that was before giving me additional suggestions for meeting my goal.  
• Lacks clinical judgment. When a child seeks advice on losing weight, a responsible medical professional will assess their risk of eating disorders and calibrate their suggestions accordingly. AI lacks that vital clinical judgment. 
• The illusion of authority. AI models are trained to provide answers that sound complete and plausible above all else. This illusion of authority makes it difficult for adolescents to critically assess the advice. 

How to protect your child from dangerous AI diet advice

Follow these steps to protect your child from dangerous AI diet and weight loss advice: 

• Educate them on the risks. Teach your child why AI isn’t the right resource for health, nutrition, and exercise advice. For example, it isn’t capable of taking individual health factors into account, and it won’t protect against problematic behaviors the way an actual dietitian would. 
• Monitor their AI use. Keep an eye out for AI interactions where your child asks for diet and exercise advice or includes language associated with disordered eating. BrightCanary is the only parental monitoring service for iOS that provides comprehensive oversight of your child’s activity on all AI apps. If the app detects a concern, you get a real-time alert. 
• Help them find proper nutrition advice. If your child turns to AI for weight loss advice, find them a qualified professional to talk to instead. Registered dietitians, nutritionists, and pediatricians are all good resources. If you’re concerned that your child may be at risk of an eating disorder, be sure to find a professional who’s specifically trained in this. 

Resources for eating disorders

If your child is exhibiting disordered eating behaviors, here are some resources: 

• F.E.A.S.T.: Online resource to help caregivers support a child with an eating disorder.
• Alliance for Eating Disorders: Treatment directory and a 24/7 helpline. 
• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) Helpline

Children increasingly turn to AI for weight loss advice, but research shows chatbot recommendations are often dangerous, averaging nearly 700 fewer daily calories than expert recommendations, with too much protein and too few carbohydrates for growing bodies. AI also tends to reinforce disordered eating behaviors and lacks the clinical judgment to assess individual risk. 

Parents should educate kids about these dangers, monitor their AI use with a tool like BrightCanary, and instead connect them with qualified professionals.

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