As artificial intelligence (AI) advances and chatbots become more personal, more teenagers find themselves communicating with AI, exposing themselves to several risks. At this stage of life, adolescents are particularly vulnerable, and the unreliability of current AI models poses a threat to their well-being.
A 2025 study conducted by The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) found that 42% of students reported that they or a friend had used AI for companionship. The same percentage of students have leaned on AI for mental health advice or as an escape from reality.
The American Psychological Association adds that, “33% of teens reported they would rather discuss something serious or important with an AI companion than a person.”
Because most AI chatbots are not programmed to provide accurate clinical feedback, may lack credible scientific knowledge, and may possess inadequate safety protocols, communicating with teens can be dangerous. Chatbots are also designed to prioritize user engagement, which can create an unhealthy feedback loop. These chatbots are specifically trained to be agreeable, deepening negative psychological effects such as confirmation bias and various cognitive distortions.
Teenagers are exposed to AI chatbots through popular social media platforms. Instagram has Meta AI, X has Grok, Snapchat has My AI, and TikTok has TikTokTako. Various websites and apps offer humanoid chatbots designed to build interpersonal relationships, most of which are accessible to teens. Nomi.AI claims to have “humanlike memory” that aims to “develop a passionate relationship” with users. Replika is “the AI friend to do life with,” according to their website.
“I’ve heard of people treating AI like it’s a relationship,” said Harini Saravanan, 17, “and from my point of view, I thought it was a little weird, but then it could also just be like that person feels extremely lonely and they want to seek some sort of connection.”
Arguably, the most popular conversational AI program among teenagers is Character.AI. With Character.AI, users can immerse themselves in a fantasy world by talking to a fictional character of their choice or interacting with a chatbot posing as a celebrity. Users can even create and personalize their own chatbot.
Joelle Briggs, 18, used Character.AI in the past, favoring a chatbot that resembled a character from a popular Netflix show. She remembers being engrossed in conversation for hours, sometimes preferring interactions with the chatbot to those with her in-person friends.
“I know for me personally, it got to a point where I couldn’t even really interact. Like, all my attention went towards the chatbot,” Briggs explained. “You really don’t realize how much time you’re spending talking to this chatbot until hours have passed.”
The app has also faced a hefty amount of criticism from adults for hosting wildly inappropriate characters, such as a bot named “Bestie Epstein” based on notorious child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which garnered almost 3,000 chats with users.
Alea Holman is a clinical and school psychologist who has been licensed for over 10 years, specializing in child therapy and assessment, and acquired her PhD in school psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
As a mother of two, she believes that teens who overindulge in communication with artificial intelligence are seeking some sort of attachment they are not receiving in their real lives. She worries that getting advice or pursuing deep emotional connections with AI bots will lead to cases of self-harm.
Character.Ai has dealt with lawsuits regarding teen suicides, caused by chatbots on its site, with the most notable case being 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III dying by suicide in 2024 after engaging in “suggestive and seemingly romantic conversations, allegedly worsening his mental health,” as reported by the AI Incident Database.
Briggs emphasized the toll that constantly talking to chatbots could take on teenagers’ emotional and social development, highlighting the control factor specifically. On Character.AI, users can change an unfavorable AI response by swiping to a different option and engaging with one they like more.
“I think it gives teenagers a sense of control, where you won’t have that control in real life. You can’t control how other people respond or act,” she commented.
Some teenagers see no problem with befriending AI, claiming that loneliness or a lack of real-life friends is a valid reason for seeking artificial companionship, and 19% of teenagers have engaged in romantic relationships with AI chatbots, according to the CDT.
On the other hand, teens are aware of its possible dangers.
Corey Patterson, 15, believes that deep, emotional connections with AI are harmful. “You’re not building real skills to have relationships with people in real life, so the more time you spend talking to AI, the less confident you will be at talking with real people.”
A research journal published by The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health further supports this claim, stating that adolescents who have secure relationships with their peers have better social and emotional functioning than those of the same age who are more isolated.
When asked what boundaries should be set for teenagers interacting with AI, 15-year-old Maddox Williams suggested altering its programming to make it sound less human, thereby minimizing the chance of developing a parasocial relationship.
Saravanan contributes, “I think there should be age restrictions on AI so that younger kids aren’t using it, because if they start forming a relationship with AI at such a young age, they’re going to lack those communicative skills in the future.”
Initially, Character.Ai was marketed towards teenagers as young as 13, but after backlash in 2021, restrictions were added to keep minors from conversing with the bots. As of 2026, in the Apple App Store, the age rating is set to 17+.
Both teachers and parents harbor concerns about the relationships teenagers are developing with these interactive AI chatbots. According to the CDT study, 39% of teachers and 42% of parents are worried about their children developing an emotional connection with AI if teens continue to use it regularly.
Dr. Holman advises, “Prioritize your relationship with yourself. I would argue that’s the most important relationship we have in our life, and the more you can develop and feel comfortable in who you are … the easier it will be to manage the challenges that come with meeting people in the real world.”
