Why confide in AI? Teens open up on why they trust chatbots
| Why turn to artificial intelligence rather than a friend? For young people, it often comes down to not having to worry about what a peer or a parent thinks. |
| That’s one takeaway from a new report by San Francisco-based Hopelab and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which surveyed 30 people between 14 and 22 and examined their use of AI chatbots. |
| Researchers found that some teenagers and young adults turned to chatbots because they wanted to avoid burdening their friends with problems. They liked that AI companions are accessible at all hours and felt they were nonjudgemental. Some can offer more concrete advice than their friends. |
| One teenage boy, for instance, was nervous about playing in a soccer game, said Emma Bruehlman-Senecal, Hopelab’s principal researcher. When he asked his father for advice, his dad said to just “focus on the game.” But when the boy asked AI for the same advice, it offered breathing exercises and suggestions about how to be present. |
| Participants acknowledged that chatbots can be sycophantic and pandering, but some still regarded AI advice as more neutral compared to friends who may carry personal biases. |
| California passed a law in 2025, backed by the tech industry, requiring AI developers to put some guardrails on their chatbots, including monitoring chats for signs of suicidal thoughts. That same year, Gov. Gavin Newsom also vetoed a stricter proposal that would have limited minors’ access to chatbots. |
| Bruehlman-Senecal says policymakers who want to protect young people from AI should collaborate with youths who often use the technology. Legislators should also aim to preserve the benefits kids find in chatbots — such as its ability to give immediate and actionable advice — while minimizing the harms of AI. |
| And how would Bruehlman-Senecal, who has a young child, feel about her kid using an AI chatbot? |
| · Bruehlman-Senecal: “I would want to have open conversations with her about using chatbots as a tool and not as a replacement for mental and emotional health support.” |
(Republished from Cal Matters – calmatters.org)
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