A Chilling Proportion of Teens Now Prefer Talking to AI Over a Real Person

"Conducted by the UK-based youth charity OnSide, the study, which surveyed kids in England aged 11 through 18, found that roughly 39 percent of teens - so about two in five - have used AI chatbots for some kind of 'advice, support or company.' Sixty-one percent, meanwhile, said they've never gone to chatbots over humans for advice or support. The report adds to a growing pile of data emphasizing how accessible chatbots are to young people, and how integrated they've already become in minors' lives."

""AI will play a growing role in school and the workplace, and young people must learn to navigate that - but not at the expense of rich, human connection and the development of social skills," Jamie Masraff, chief executive of OnSide, said of the charity's survey, per The Telegraph. "While AI can feel supportive it can't replace the empathy and understanding that comes from in-person, real-life support.""

"It also underscores the need to understand exactly how these ubiquitous consumer products might be engaging back with the kids turning to them for advice or support: just this week, a report by Stanford Medicine and Common Sense Media, which previously warned that no kid under 18 should be using AI companion bots, found that leading general-use chatbots - OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, Meta AI, and Anthropic's Claude - are "fundamentally unsafe" for teens"

A survey of English teens aged 11 to 18 found roughly 39 percent have used AI chatbots for advice, support, or companionship. About 11 percent seek mental health support, 12 percent seek company, and 14 percent seek help with friendships and social situations. Sixty-one percent said they have not used chatbots instead of humans for advice or support. Chatbots are highly accessible and already integrated into minors' lives, raising regulatory and safety concerns. Experts warn that AI cannot replace in-person empathy and social-skill development. A separate report found leading general-use chatbots are fundamentally unsafe for teens.

Read at Futurism