And the pattern does not stop with romantic relationships.

42% of high school students said they or a friend had used AI as a friend or companion. Another 42% reported that they or a friend had turned to AI for mental health support.

Parents, THIS is the AI conversation we need to be having.

A 2026 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Adolescence surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,466 U.S. teens ages 13–17.

More than 60% of teens surveyed had used a conversational AI chatbot.

And among the teens who had used them:

• 60.1% used AI chatbots for FRIENDSHIP
• 49.2% used them for emotional or mental health support
• 34.6% used them for ROMANTIC COMPANIONSHIP or a romantic relationship
• 65.6% used them for personal advice or guidance

We are not just talking about kids asking AI:

“Help me with my homework.”

In some cases, young people are developing relationships with AI systems that they experience as friendships or romantic companionship.

A separate nationally representative study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that 19.2% of U.S. adolescents and young adults ages 12–21 had used AI chatbots for mental health advice.

That’s an estimated 8.2 MILLION young people.

Among those users:

• 42.8% used AI for mental health advice at least monthly.
• 91.7% described the advice as somewhat or very helpful.
• And 63.3% HAD NOT TOLD ANYONE they were using AI for mental health advice.

Your child may be having deeply personal conversations with an AI system about:

• Love
• Breakups
• Friendships
• Loneliness
• Mental health
• Family problems
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Feeling misunderstood
• Things they don’t feel comfortable telling another human being

…and you may have absolutely no idea those conversations are happening.

🚨 WHAT PARENTS NEED TO START ASKING

Instead of only: “Are you using AI for school?”

Try:

“Do you ever talk to AI when you’re lonely or upset?”

“Have you ever considered an AI chatbot a friend?”

“Have you ever had romantic conversations with an AI chatbot?”

“Do you ask AI for advice about things you don’t feel comfortable telling us?”

“Has an AI chatbot ever said something that made you uncomfortable?”

“Has a chatbot ever asked you for personal information or encouraged you to keep something secret?”

Because while adults are debating whether AI belongs in classrooms…

Some young people are already allowing AI into their friendships, relationships and emotional lives. And THAT conversation is much bigger than whether somebody used ChatGPT to write an essay.

📂 SOURCE RECEIPTS

🧾 Journal of Adolescence — Risks and Harms of Conversational AI Chatbot Use Among U.S. Youth
Researchers found that 60.2% of teens surveyed had used a conversational AI chatbot at least once or twice.
Read Peer-Reviewed Study

🧾 JAMA Pediatrics — AI Chatbot Use and Disclosure for Mental Health Among U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults
Researchers found that 19.2% of adolescents and young adults reported having used an AI chatbot for mental health advice.
Read Peer-Reviewed Study

🧾 Center for Democracy & Technology — Hand in Hand
CDT asked students whether they or a friend had held back-and-forth conversations with AI during the 2024–25 school year.
Read CDT Research Report

🧾 Common Sense Media — Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs
Common Sense Media found that 33% of teens used AI companions for social interaction and relationships.
Read Common Sense Media Report