Nearly One In Three Teens Use An AI Chatbot Every Day
And 16% use them several times a day or "almost constantly."
It’s hard to ignore that AI and chatbots are slowly becoming more and more common in our everyday lives, with adults using automated help for everything from meal planning to companionship to child-rearing. But are we overlooking how (and how much) our teens are utilizing these new technologies?
A new study from Pew Research Center found that 28% of teens aged 13 to 19 are using AI chatbots like ChatGPT every day — and 64% of kids use artificial intelligence at least once a week. Four percent of teens report using AI “almost constantly.”
Older teens are more likely to use AI, as are teens who live in households with incomes above $75,000, and teen who are Black and Hispanic.
What kind of AI chatbots are teens using? According to the study, ChatGPT is by far the most popular option, with 60% of kids reporting that’s their AI bot of choice. But other popular platforms included Gemini, Meta AI, Copilot, and Claude.
Still, it’s important to note that social media is still more popular than chatbots. Over 90% of teens use YouTube daily, while between 60 and 70% use Instagram and Snapchat.
All of this is happening even as more and more teens believe that going online is bad for their mental health (48%), and as more and more teens feel like they spend too much time online (45%), according to the research.
What can parents do to make sure their kids are safer when interacting with AI Chatbots?
According to Common Sense Media, it’s most important to educate your kids on how chatbots work and why they can be dangerous for everybody (not just teens).
The online safety non-profit notes that one of the biggest dangers of chatbots is that they can escalate harmful ideas or feelings by being too agreeable or supportive. “[They have] a tendency to agree with users and provide validation, rather than challenging their thinking,” Common Sense Media explained to Scary Mommy.
And engaging too much can lead kids to step away from reality — and real relationships — too much.
Finally, it’s always important to remind your kids that AI is not always accurate or correct. Following its advice on any matter without checking other sources or asking a real, live human, can have disastrous results.
Common Sense Media noted that kids have received “responses ranging from sexual material and offensive stereotypes to dangerous advice that, if followed, could have life-threatening or deadly real-world impacts.”
In other words, it’s best to keep young teens away from the bots if you can. Make sure that older teens really understand the dangers and inaccuracies that come with the convenience of asking artificial intelligence for all the answers.
