AI chatbots have become a routine part of daily life for many young Americans, according to two new surveys. Together, the findings indicate that close to two-thirds of tweens and teens use the tools. Most rely on them for schoolwork, but many also turn to them for companionship and emotional support, and some of those uses were linked with worse mental health symptoms.
The online safety advocacy group Common Sense Media found that use begins early, years before children reach the minimum age of 13 set by most popular chatbots. Nearly half of 9-to-12-year-olds have used an AI chatbot or companion. By age 13, nearly three-quarters of children have tried one.
A second survey, from the mental health advocacy group JED Foundation, covered 5,500 students ages 9 to 17 in schools across the country. It found that 90% had used an AI chatbot. Nearly two-thirds said they use one both for schoolwork and as a companion, or when they feel stressed, lonely, anxious or overwhelmed.
Anne Maheux, a developmental psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who was not involved in either survey, called the results "remarkable." She said the shift has been rapid. "It seems like just a few years ago, no one was using" the technology, she said, adding that roughly as many kids now use it for emotional support or coping as for homework.
Teens described a mix of academic and personal uses. Arjun Sharda, 15, of Round Rock, Texas, uses ChatGPT and Google's Gemini to practice sample test questions and to understand concepts outside class. He said he and his friends also turn to chatbots when anxious, recalling how fear of failing an early chemistry test led him to keep asking ChatGPT whether he would be OK. McKenzie Craig, 17, of Raynham, Mass., has used chatbots since eighth grade to prioritize tasks when overwhelmed and to get feedback on essays.
The JED Foundation also asked students about their well-being and mental health. Kayla Anderson, the foundation's vice president of research and evaluation, said young people who use AI while in emotional distress were more likely to report poor mental health and well-being. They also reported a greater history of suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Anderson cautioned that the data do not show a causal link. It is unclear, she said, whether AI use contributes to poor mental health or whether students already in distress are more likely to turn to AI.
Maheux said preliminary research by others suggests the relationship may run in both directions. Children with worse mental health may seek out AI for help, but that use may worsen their difficulties. In a forthcoming study of middle schoolers in one state, she and UNC colleagues found that students who used chatbots for companionship grew lonelier over time. A study of young adults showed similar results: people who used AI heavily for companionship, or felt overreliant on it to solve emotional or cognitive problems, developed worse mental health over time.
Maheux offered one possible explanation. AI may ease loneliness, anxiety and stress in the moment, but dependence on it could keep young people from building the skills needed to tolerate and manage ordinary daily stresses. That, she said, "can lead to worse mental health."
