AI is becoming a teen trend – but at what cost?

AI is becoming a teen trend – but at what cost?

By Eric Sullivan
Publication Date: 2025-12-11 12:00:00

AI chatbot use among teenagers is increasing, raising concerns about mental health

A new survey provides the clearest national overview yet of how U.S. teenagers are using artificial intelligence

Concept art of an anthropomorphic pink chatbot popping out of a phone

MR.Cole_Photographer/Getty Images

Chatbots with artificial intelligence are no longer a novelty for US teenagers. They are a habit.

A new Pew Research Center survey of 1,458 teens ages 13 to 17 found that 64 percent have used an AI chatbot, with more than one in four using such tools daily. Of these daily users, more than half spoke to chatbots, with a frequency ranging from several times a day to almost constantly.

The findings offer a nationwide snapshot of a rapidly changing landscape in which chatbots are becoming increasingly integrated into teens’ lives as policymakers argue over how best to regulate them.


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