10.5 Wellbeing and Healthy AI Use

CurricuLLM is designed to support learning, not to replace the human relationships and independent thinking that underpin it. This section addresses the wellbeing risks specific to AI tutor interactions and how teachers and students can use the platform in healthy, productive ways.

Overreliance

CurricuLLM uses Socratic questioning to guide students toward their own understanding rather than handing them answers. This pedagogical design actively works against overreliance. However, it is still possible for students to fall into the habit of deferring to the AI — asking it before forming their own view, or accepting its framing without critical evaluation.

Teachers can help by:

• Encouraging students to attempt a problem or form an opinion before turning to CurricuLLM
• Asking students to explain what they learned from a conversation in their own words
• Using CurricuLLM as one tool among many, not the default starting point for every task

Parasocial attachment

Because CurricuLLM holds natural, responsive conversations, some students — particularly younger learners — may begin to perceive it as a person or develop an emotional connection to it. It is important for students to understand that the AI is software. It does not have feelings, it does not know them outside of the conversation, and it is not a substitute for relationships with teachers, friends, or family.

Teachers can reinforce this by:

• Naming CurricuLLM as a tool (like a calculator or a textbook) rather than a person
• Encouraging students to talk to a real person — a teacher, parent, or friend — when they need emotional support or are dealing with something personal
• Monitoring for signs that a student may be treating the AI as a confidant rather than a learning tool

Healthy usage patterns

Productive use of CurricuLLM involves focused, purposeful sessions rather than open-ended or compulsive use. Students should know that stepping away is not only acceptable but encouraged when they are:

• Frustrated or going in circles
• Tired or losing focus
• Dealing with something that a person would be better placed to help with

We recommend that teachers set clear expectations about when and how CurricuLLM is used in class, and remind students that the best learning often comes from a combination of AI-assisted practice, classroom discussion, and independent thought.