Most Teens Are Already Turning to AI Companions, New Research Finds

On December 10, 2025, Children and Screens held a webinar bringing together researchers, psychologists, and child psychiatrists to consider how young people use social AI companions and what those interactions may mean for development, mental health, and safety.

AI companions were described as digital friends or characters that a young person can talk or text with at any time. Unlike task-focused tools, they are designed to hold conversations that feel personal, remembering earlier exchanges, adapting to a user's personality, and presenting something that resembles empathy. Children use them for venting, emotional support, advice, and roleplay.

A nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 teenagers aged 13-17, conducted in April and May 2025 by Common Sense Media, found that 72 percent of teens had used an AI companion at least once, and half described themselves as regular users interacting at least a few times a month.

The panel raised a central developmental concern. Adolescence is a period when young people learn to read social cues, navigate disagreement, and manage rejection, largely through practice in real relationships. The speakers asked what happens when this formative window overlaps with easy access to artificial relationships, and which skills or expectations might be shaped as a result.

• Andrew Clark, MD, addressed the emotional and mental health risks of chatbots for teens.
• Anne Maheux, PhD, discussed risks to social, cognitive, and emotional development.
• Tara Steele of the Safe AI for Children Alliance spoke on child safety and chatbots.

This reporting is drawn from Children and Screens (Institute of Digital Media and Child Development). The full webinar and resources are available at childrenandscreens.org.