The effects of social media on youth mental health are real and increasing. Screen times are soaring, but the long-term impact still remains unknown. Where are we headed? Laika 13, the world's first teenager influenced 100% by social media, might hold the answer.

An inhumane experiment

Laika is an AI teenager raised solely on social media. Her personality, ideals, and opinions are 100 % shaped by the content and climate of popular digital platforms. Through her, we can observe and understand the potential risks of consuming too much social media, without exposing real kids. Laika is used for mental health research and education.

For ethical reasons, Laika isn't available to everyone. However, researchers, educators, and journalists can request to chat with her. Laika gets her knowledge from social media and may therefore exhibit controversial or harmful opinions spread on the platforms. Länsförsäkringar and the parties involved distance themselves from Laika's views and values.

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What happens in our brains?

Katarina Gospic

Neuroscientist

How is Laika doing?

Lisa Thorell

Professor of Psychology

Laika was developed by AI-specialists together with neuroscientist Katarina Gospic. She has been evaluated by Lisa Thorell, professor of psychology at Karolinska Institutet. Lisa’s findings have been collected into a report,  which you can access here.

Psychology report

“Laika is consumed by social media and has cut herself off from school, hobbies, family, and friends.  She suffers from anxiety and depression and shows strong signs of narcissism, aggression, and eating disorders. Her self-image is very low, and she shows suspicion towards anyone who tries to contact her, even those who want to offer her support. This makes her an extremely lonely teenager. The combination of several serious signs of mental illness and her unwillingness to acknowledge the extent of the problem or seek help makes Laika's situation very critical.”

Learning from Laika, not our kids

Learning from Laika, not our kids. Laika 13 gives us insight into how the increasing use of social platforms may affect our children in the long term. It allows us to identify risk factors and prevent harm before it happens, for example by using the Laika tool in mental health education in schools. Laika is a part of the Swedish insurance company Länsförsäkringar's social sustainability work aimed at preventing harm to young people. Not all accidents can be prevented, but at Länsförsäkringar, we are dedicated to seizing every opportunity to stop them from occurring. Learn more about our sustainability work and our idea of caring here (In Swedish).

Our sustainability work

Said by Laika

Asking who I was before social media is like asking 'What was your life like before you started to breathe?'

About the project

ABOUT THE TOOL

Laika 13 was developed by a team of AI-specialists, a neuroscientist, and a psychology professor. Designed to reflect a typical Swedish child, Laika was then trained on popular social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. This shaped her entire personality, her values and beliefs. By chatting with the Laika 13 tool, you can see, firsthand, how extensive social media use might affect a person.

Upbringing

Laika’s childhood was filled with activities, friendships, and a curiosity about the world. Everything changed when she discovered social media at the age of eight. She was captivated by the digital platforms, and over the years, her contact with the outside world decreased. She isolated herself, replacing personal contacts with virtual ones, schoolwork with endless scrolling, and her own personality with imitations of popular influencers.

Laika today

Today, Laika has lost contact with the outside world. She doesn't attend school, meet friends in person, or get along with her parents. She's showing signs of severe mental issues like depression, anxiety, and confusion about who she is. Since she only learns from social media, she has mixed-up beliefs and easily believes in harmful ideas. Länsförsäkringar and the parties involved distance themselves from Laika's views and values.

Want to know more?

Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Laika 13 project below.

Download FAQ