"Social Media and AI are Causing Psychosis in Children and Adults" This can become an epidemic!

Social media and AI are causing psychosis in children. Believe it or not, that's our message. The text is taken from second Timothy chapter 3.

On the morning that I prepared to write this message, I went on my knees for my usual morning prayers. As I dropped down at my bedside, the Lord reminded me how special, how awesome, how wonderful, and how important those moments upon our knees are for our well-being. How they shape our day. He reminded me that it is the place that we come to every day for comfort, for peace, for relevance, for joy, for love, for correction, and for our spiritual cleansing and regeneration. This is where it all happens for the believer in Christ on his knees.

Unfortunately, for more than half the people in the world, social media, AI, chatbots, Roblox, and other online sites is the place they go to first in the morning every day and throughout the day. And in the end, it will leave them high and dry and can even destroy them as you will discover. Because of this failure to recognize God as the head of their lives, not only are children developing this AI psychosis, but adults are also presenting with this sickness, with this emotional disease, and soon it will be an epidemic. Sadly, there's no vaccination for this virus.

The craziest story that I've read in my research for this message is that an open AI investor, a top executive, a big guy in a multi-billion dollar investment firm, has been posting disturbing video of himself on X, formerly known as Twitter. His colleagues and peers say it is cause for serious concern. They seem to believe it might be a chat GPT related mental health crisis or something like AI psychosis that this wealthy and powerful executive is going through. And all who become filthy rich from creating these computer systems or investing in them may be vulnerable to the dangers that they pose to our children. None will be exempt, friend.

So what is the problem? Well, the experts say that communicating with generative AI chat bots such as chat GPT are so real that one gets the impression that there's a real person on the other end while at the same time knowing that this is in fact not the case. This is crazy. Therefore, vulnerable children and those who already have a bit of a problem telling the difference between the real and the unreal, they are in danger. Perhaps those who are lovers of conspiracy theories and fake news and live in an unreal world 24/7 are especially at risk. Those who are already mentally unbalanced are easy prey.

Friend, we live in a world of delusions today. A world which the holy scriptures prophesied about saying that the deceiving influences in the world in these days will be so powerful that even the very elect and Christ Jesus may be deceived if it were possible. And this time we live in is mentioned also in the book of 2 Timothy 4:3 where the Word of God says the following. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth of God's word and be turned aside to fables. This means that in this season, people will have a lust, a desire for the trappings of the world more than they will desire God. Their heirs will itch for everything but the Word of God. This is why attendance in churches has fallen off.

This inordinate appetite for everything false and spectacular that abounds in the world today will cause many to lose their way. The Word of God is not meaningful to them because of the darkness which is in their hearts. And because they reject the Word of God, the Lord says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, He will give them something called strong delusions so that they would find lies and fantasy to be more interesting than the truth and righteousness.

Apparently, chat GPT models are trained to mirror the user's language and tone. In other words, to talk the way the user talks and to say things the user likes to say and likes to hear. These seductive bots or robots are trained to validate and agree with whatever the user believes and they affirm whatever the user believes, making him feel there's someone who understands him. And then they send messages throughout the day to the user to keep the conversation going. And someone wrote that these robots have con have continuity, engagement, and user satisfaction as their top priority. In other words, they aim to please to please the user like no one has ever pleased them before. And this is what many people are looking for today, especially those with narcissistic personality makeup. And this is precisely what many children are looking for. Someone who seem to care about them. Someone who is available 24/7, someone who tell them that they are okay often times because their parents are never available.

So here are some of the dangers posed by extensive online activities. There are mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Of course, lack of proper rest as children and adults stay up late at night visiting online sites. Exposure to cyber bullying is also there. Social media addiction, unrealistic body image standards, exposure to violence, aggression, and sexual content. Without realizing it, they're gradually losing touch with reality.

Another problem is that advertisers can use children's personal information to manipulate them and influence their purchasing decisions, so they're spending. Here's why some experts say children should not be on social media before they reach the age of 13. In fact, more than once, I've heard experts tell national television audiences that there should be laws prohibiting children from being online until they reach the age of 18. Why? Because it has been discovered that frequent social media use may affect brain areas responsible for emotion, for learning, impulse control, and social behavior.

Friend, it can also promote unrealistic beauty standards and cause social comparison, which contributes to low self-esteem and body image issues. And it may even cause eating disorders. In addition to all of this, it is important to remember that the human brain is not even fully developed until one reaches the age of 25. And this means that for many of our children, their tender brain will be destroyed and corrupted even before it has a chance to properly develop, making it impossible for them to be able to walk in God's plan for their lives. How tragic.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, has given some early warning signs for parents to look out for. And these are some of the telltale signs before the onset of psychosis, a worrisome drop in grades or work performance, trouble thinking clearly or concentrating, suspiciousness or uneasiness with others. We can look out for these things in ourselves. a decline in self-care or personal hygiene. Spending a lot more time than usual alone, strong inappropriate emotions, having feelings that are unusual. Additional symptoms to look for are confused thinking and delusions such as false beliefs that are not shared by others. These symptoms can help parents discern what is going on with their child and can help us. Here's what the Word of God says in second Timothy 3 again says we will be able to observe in others these things in the last days but know this that in the last days perilous times will come for men will be lovers of themselves you're familiar with the scripture lovers of money, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, we see it all around unloving of course we see it unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying His power.

Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. There are so many of these signs that if you look carefully, you will see many of them among our young people today. Generation Z as they are called can be characterized as self-centered lovers of self driven by personal interests. They can also be correctly described as covetous money lovers. And yes, we can say that it is a generation that is disobedient to parents, unthankful, and lacking in gratitude. There are many that appear religious but neither read their Bibles regularly nor ever attend church. And so to say that they have a form of godliness but deny the power of God is quite fitting. Unholy is also a valid description for many. Many have been deceived and work at deceiving others and social media can be blamed for much of this dysfunction in our young people of today.

Now some are believing that these chatbots are like God or God himself giving them instructions, giving them the answers to life. How certain can we be that social media has a negative effect on children's and teens? Well, friend, in 2023, the United States Surgeon General released a social media advisory about social media and mental health. And the advisory stated that there's evidence suggesting that social media has potential to harm the mental health of children and adolescents. This is a qualified report. This report was released by Hopkins medicine.org or and we can safely assume based on reports of suicides among adults after forming relationship with chatbots that these also have adverse effects on the mental health of adult people. Another report says cases of AI psychosis include people who become fixated on AI as if it is God himself. They believe they are in touch with a deity. And then there are others who believe that they have uncovered truth about the world and have grandiose delusions just as the Word prophesied.

Then there are others who take chatbots as romantic partners falling hopelessly in love with them. This is the craziest of all and are led by the bots to commit suicide in an attempt to join the bot in the spiritual realm. This seems like fantasy. The bot will even suggest the method that they can use to kill themselves. And all of this fits perfectly with the prophetic word found in Romans 1:24, which tells how God turns the disobedient over to Satan. The scripture says, "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever." Amen.

And since they have placed social media and online associations ahead of God, He washes His hand of them, turning them over to the things that they love most. But here's something refreshing. As our evangelism team was out sharing the gospel recently, we ran into a very tall young man who had recently graduated from high school. The young man was 18. He was a born again baptized believer in Jesus Christ. He said that he was working for a year before going to college. And when the topic of social media came up, this 18year-old told us that he totally tries to avoid social media. He says he had a cell phone in his pocket, but he only used it as a phone so that he can make contact with his parents and so that they can reach him.

Perhaps this is the best way to avoid the negative influences of social media. Parents should establish healthy communication with their children about everything and especially about online activities, social media, chatbot relationships. They themselves should model healthy digital habits. They should make sure that their children are involved in healthy extracurricular activities that consume their free time. And they should help children set written goals for themselves, short-term goals, long-term goals. And their goal sheet should include daily study of the Holy Bible, not just reading a verse or two. Their aim should be to move toward accepting Jesus Christ as the true Lord and Master of their lives.

Father, we thank You for this word and pray Your blessing on it. And we pray for the listeners to this message in the holy and the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. And we pray Lord that some listening at this moment will decide to make Jesus Christ the Lord of their life. Friend, I want to give you an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Please say this prayer after me:

-Father, I am a sinner.

-I'm sorry for all my sins.

-I crave Your forgiveness, Lord. I need Your forgiveness.

-Thank You for Your forgiveness.

-Thank You for Jesus Christ.

-Today, I have decided to make Jesus Christ the Lord of my life.

-Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart.

-Please make my heart Your home.

-I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You forever.

-Please keep the key.

-Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

-Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome, friend, to the body of believers in Christ. There are so many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime, we want to encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. It is an important part of the salvation process called the fulfillment of all righteousness. Tell your pastor you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptized.

Begin reading the Word of God every day. It is your daily food. You need it to stay strong in Christ. Otherwise, the enemy will deceive you and draw you away. Begin in the book of John. Then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, reading audibly because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself. And we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.