Teenagers use AI as a companion that gives advice and friendship

▲ Bruce Perry, 17, demonstrates how he uses artificial intelligence in his everyday life at a coffee shop in Russellville, Arkansas. AP Photo

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 25, 2025, p. 6

No question is too trivial when Kayla Chege, a high school student in Kansas, uses artificial intelligence. The 15-year-old asks ChatGPT for guidance on back-to-school shopping, makeup colors, and low-calorie options at Smoothie King, as well as ideas for her and her little sister's sweet 16 parties.

The sophomore honors student refuses to let chatbots do her homework and tries to limit her interactions to mundane questions. But in interviews with the AP and a new study, teens say they increasingly interact with AI as if it were a peer capable of giving them advice and offering friendship.

Everyone uses AI for everything now. It's really taking over , Chege noted, wondering how these tools will affect his generation. "I think kids use it to avoid thinking ."

In recent years, concerns about cheating in school have dominated the conversation surrounding children and AI. But artificial intelligence is playing a much larger role in many people's lives. According to teens, it has become a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, everyday decision-making, and problem-solving.

More than 70 percent of teens have used AI assistants, and half use them regularly, according to a new study from Common Sense Media, a group that analyzes and advocates for the sensible use of screens and digital media.

The study defines AI assistants as platforms designed to act as digital friends , such as Character.AI or Replika, capable of being customized with specific traits or personalities and offering emotional support, companionship, and conversations that can feel human. But popular sites like ChatGPT and Claude, which primarily answer questions, are being used in the same way, the researchers argue.

As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, teens and experts are concerned about AI's potential to redefine human relationships and exacerbate the loneliness and mental health crises among young people.

The AI is always available. It never gets bored with you. It's never critical , said Ganesh Nair, an 18-year-old from Arkansas. When you talk to the AI, you're always right. You're always interesting. You're always emotionally justified .

All of that used to be interesting, but now that Nair is starting college in the fall, he wants to stop using artificial intelligence. He was shocked when a high school friend who used an AI assistant for heart-to-heart conversations with his girlfriend later had the chatbot type the message that ended their two-year relationship.

"It felt a bit dystopian to me, that a computer could generate the end of a real relationship ," Nair said. "It's almost as if we're allowing computers to replace our relationships with people."

In the Common Sense Media survey, 31 percent of teens said their conversations with AI assistants were as or more satisfying than talking with real friends. Although half of teens indicated they distrust AI advice, 33 percent had discussed serious or important topics with AI rather than real people.

These findings are troubling, said Michael Robb, the study's lead author and a researcher at Common Sense, and should send a message to parents, teachers, and policymakers. The now-burgeoning and largely unregulated AI industry is becoming as embedded in adolescence as smartphones and social media.

"It's eye-opening ," Robb said. "When we set out to do this survey, we had no idea how many kids actually use AI assistants ." The study surveyed more than 1,000 teens across the country in April and May.

Adolescence is a critical time for developing identity, social skills, and independence, Robb said, and AI assistants should complement, not replace, real-world interactions.

If teens are developing social skills on AI platforms where they are constantly validated, not challenged, and don't learn to read social cues or understand another person's perspective, they won't be adequately prepared for the real world , he added.

The nonprofit analyzed several popular AI assistants in a risk assessment , finding ineffective age restrictions and that the platforms can generate sexually explicit material, provide dangerous advice, and offer harmful content. The group recommends that minors not use these tools.

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

Parents really have no idea this is happening , said Eva Telzer, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We're all surprised by how quickly this has exploded . Telzer leads multiple studies on youth and AI, a new area of research with limited data.

Telzer's work has found that children as young as eight use generative artificial intelligence, and that teenagers use AI to explore their sexuality and for companionship. In focus groups, Telzer observed that one of the top apps teens frequent is SpicyChat AI, a free role-playing app for adults.

Many teens also report using chatbots to write emails or messages to find the right tone in sensitive situations.

One concern is that they no longer trust themselves to make a decision , Telzer noted. They need feedback from AI before they feel they can check the box on whether an idea is right or wrong .

Bruce Perry, a 17-year-old from Arkansas, says he identifies with that and relies on AI tools to create outlines and grade essays for his English class.

If you asked me to plan an essay, I'd think about using ChatGPT before I even took out a pencil , Perry said. She uses artificial intelligence daily and has asked chatbots for advice in social situations, to help her decide what to wear, and to write emails to teachers. She noted that the AI articulates her thoughts more quickly.

Perry says he feels fortunate that AI assistants didn't exist when he was younger.

I worry that kids might get lost in this , she said. I can imagine a kid growing up with AI and not seeing a reason to go to the park or try to make friends .

Other teens agree, saying the problems with AI and its effect on children's mental health are different from those with social media.

Social media has complemented people's need to be seen, known, and meet new people , Nair said. "I think AI complements another need that's much deeper: our need for attachment and our need to feel emotions. It feeds off of that."

It's the new addiction , he added. That's how I see it .