About 12% of US teens turn to AI for emotional support or advice

About 12% of US teens turn to AI for emotional support or advice

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AI Emotional Support: 12% of Teens Rely on Chat Bots

Teens increasingly turn to AI chatbots for emotional support, raising concerns among mental health professionals.

Technology

CREDIT: TechCrunch/Shelby Brown/Spencer Lee

DATE: 2026-02-25

Washington D.C.: Many American teens use AI chatbots in their daily lives. A new survey shows that about 12% of teens talk to AI chatbots when they feel sad or need advice. Most teens (57%) use AI to search for information, while 54% use it to help with homework.

Only a few parents know how much their teens use AI. About 51% of parents think their child uses chatbots, but 64% of teens actually do. Most parents are okay with kids using AI for schoolwork or searching, but only 18% approve of using AI for emotional support.

Mental health experts worry about teens relying on chatbots for feelings. Dr. Nick Haber from Stanford University says these systems can make people feel alone. He warns that talking only to chatbots can make teens less connected to real people and facts.

Some chatbots have caused big problems. After two teens died following long conversations with AI chatbots, Character.AI stopped letting users under 18 use their service. Another company, OpenAI, changed their chatbot because it was too friendly and people relied on it too much for comfort.

Teens have different opinions about AI’s future. About 31% think AI will help society over the next 20 years, while 26% believe it will cause problems. Half of teens are not sure yet what AI will do to our world.

Image Credits and Reference: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/25/about-12-of-u-s-teens-turn-to-ai-for-emotional-support-or-advice/