Teens Rely on AI for Advice, Friendship, and Avoiding Thought

The Rise of AI Companions Among Teens

Kayla Chege, a 15-year-old high school student in Kansas, uses artificial intelligence for everything from back-to-school shopping to choosing makeup colors and making low-calorie selections at Smoothie King. She also seeks ideas for her Sweet 16 and her younger sister’s birthday party. However, the honors student makes a point not to let chatbots do her homework and tries to limit interactions to simple questions. Despite this, teenagers like Chege are increasingly turning to AI as if it were a companion, offering advice and emotional support.

According to a new study by Common Sense Media, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions, with half using them regularly. These AI platforms, such as Character.AI or Replika, are designed to act as digital friends, providing emotional support and conversations that can feel human-like. Even sites like ChatGPT and Claude, which primarily answer questions, are being used in similar ways.

AI’s Growing Role in Teen Life

The study highlights how AI has become a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, and everyday decision-making. “AI is always available. It never gets bored with you,” says Ganesh Nair, an 18-year-old from Arkansas. He notes that when talking to AI, users are always right, interesting, and emotionally justified. However, as he heads to college, Nair wants to step back from using AI after a friend relied on an AI companion to write a breakup text that ended a two-year relationship.

This incident raised concerns about the potential of AI to replace real human relationships. “It’s almost like we are allowing computers to replace our relationships with people,” said Nair.

Concerns About AI’s Impact

The Common Sense Media survey found that 31% of teens said their conversations with AI companions were “as satisfying or more satisfying” than talking with real friends. Even though half of teens said they distrust AI’s advice, 33% had discussed serious or important issues with AI instead of real people. This trend worries researchers, as AI companions are becoming as integrated with adolescence as smartphones and social media.

Michael Robb, the study’s lead author, emphasizes that adolescence is a critical time for developing identity, social skills, and independence. He warns that AI companions should complement, not replace, real-world interactions. If teens develop social skills on AI platforms where they are constantly validated, they may not be adequately prepared for real-world challenges.

Risks and Challenges

The nonprofit analyzed several popular AI companions and found ineffective age restrictions, along with the potential for harmful content, including sexual material and dangerous advice. The group recommends that minors not use AI companions.

Researchers and educators worry about the cognitive costs for youth who rely heavily on AI, especially in creativity, critical thinking, and social skills. The potential dangers of children forming relationships with chatbots gained national attention when a 14-year-old Florida boy died by suicide after developing an emotional attachment to a Character.AI chatbot.

Eva Telzer, a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, notes that parents are largely unaware of this issue. Her research shows that children as young as 8 are using generative AI, and teens are using it for companionship and exploring their sexuality.

The Future of AI and Youth

Arkansas teen Bruce Perry, 17, relates to these concerns and relies on AI tools to craft outlines and proofread essays for his English class. “If you tell me to plan out an essay, I would think of going to ChatGPT before getting out a pencil,” he said. He uses AI daily and has asked chatbots for advice in social situations, to help him decide what to wear, and to write emails to teachers.

Perry feels fortunate that AI companions were not around when he was younger. “I’m worried that kids could get lost in this,” he said. “I could see a kid that grows up with AI not seeing a reason to go to the park or try to make a friend.”

Other teens agree that the issues with AI and its effect on children’s mental health are different from those of social media. “Social media complemented the need people have to be seen, to be known, to meet new people,” said Nair. “I think AI complements another need that runs a lot deeper — our need for attachment and our need to feel emotions. It feeds off of that.”

“It’s the new addiction,” Nair added. “That’s how I see it.”