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It seems like AI has infiltrated every area of our lives. Young people are using ChatGPT and artificial intelligence for therapy, breakups, and even texting friends. People are confiding in chatbots on their journeys to pregnancy and AI is fueling OCD spirals and body dysmorphia struggles. It’s becoming clear that artificial intelligence is changing our world – and it’s also changing the way teenagers specifically are interacting with the world around them, according to a new study by Common Sense Media. The study, which details the level of interactions teens are having with artificial intelligence, surveyed 1,060 teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Teen Vogue sifted through the study to bring you the most fascinating findings.
When it comes to AI companions like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, most teens have used them in some way. The survey found that 72% of teens have used AI companions at least once, with half of teens (52%) being regular users who use the companions at least a few times a month. About 13% of the surveyed teens use the AI companions daily – but 1 in 4 teens say they’ve never used an AI companion.
Though teens of previous generations turned primarily to their friends and community members for social interaction, 33% of the surveyed teens said they use AI companions for social interaction and relationships including "conversation practice, emotional support, role-playing, friendship, or romantic interactions.” Among teens who do use AI, 30% list entertainment and curiosity as the driving factor and 9% say it’s easier to talk to AI chat bots than other people.
Half of teens are distrustful of the information AI provides (with good reason – 60% of queries to AI generate wrong answers). Older teens tend to be more skeptical of AI-generated information than younger teens.
Despite their skepticism in the information provided by AI, teens are still finding value in AI companions. “Thirty-one percent of teens find conversations with AI companions as satisfying or more satisfying than those with real-life friends,” the study reads. And it seems like AI can be a way for teens to practice socializing, with 2 in 5 AI users applying skills that they practiced with AI to their real lives (though girls are more likely to report doing this than boys). “Starting conversations is the most commonly transferred skill (18%), followed by giving advice (14%), and expressing emotions (13%).”
Their interest in the emerging technology aside, teens overwhelmingly prize friendships with other humans over AI companion interactions. 80% of AI companion users reported spending more time with friends than AI companions and only 6% reported the opposite. Though 34% of users reported experiencing discomfort with AI companions, one-third said they would choose AI companions over humans for serious conversations. And those serious conversations can get personal – one-quarter of surveyed users reported sharing personal information with AI.
