Children Turn to AI Chatbots After Online Sexual Harm, Survey Finds

Each year Thorn surveys 1,000 young people aged 9-17 about their experiences of online risk. The 2025 findings describe digital lives in which many children navigate potentially harmful sexual experiences alongside newer technologies, including AI tools.

Most surveyed minors, 67 percent, reported using AI chatbots or companions. More than one in four used them for private or personal reasons, such as advice about romantic feelings or information about puberty and sexual health. Almost one in three turned to these tools when something confusing or upsetting happened. Of particular concern, 15 percent sought advice from an AI tool immediately after an online sexual interaction, more than twice the proportion who did so after bullying or being made uncomfortable.

The survey also recorded reasons children give for staying silent:

• One in five faced with an online sexual interaction did not tell anyone.
• Fear of shame and judgement grew as a reason for holding back.
• One in three young people still blamed victims whose nude images were leaked.

Researchers noted that preteens have become less likely to seek in-person help since 2020, and that more of the youngest children reported telling no one at all. Because younger minors are still developing their understanding of consent and risk, the report warns that facing such situations alone may leave them feeling that what happened was their fault.

The report argues that technology companies, caregivers, and child safety partners need to understand when and why children turn to AI, and to focus on the quality of the information and advice they receive at these moments. This reporting is drawn from Thorn's Youth Perspectives on Online Safety, 2025.