Some American teens are already using AI chatbots 'almost constantly'

Almost a third of U.S. teenagers use AI chatbots every day while some use the technology “almost constantly,” a new study found, amid growing safety concerns about the mental health impacts of AI for children.

The survey of almost 1,500 teens found widespread use of AI on a daily or near-daily basis, with ChatGPT by far the most widely used chatbot. Gemini, Meta AI, Microsoft’s Copilot, Character.AI and Anthropic’s Claude followed, in that order.

Some 70% of the teenagers said they had used a chatbot at least once. About 46% use them several times a week, falling to 28% who use them almost daily. And 4% of those surveyed said they use them almost constantly, according the Pew Research Center report.

Companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta are coming under increased scrutiny over safeguard measures for children. OpenAI said it would bring parental controls to ChatGPT after it was sued by the parents of a teenager who died by suicide after allegedly being coached by the chatbot.

U.S. senators called for a congressional investigation into Meta this fall after an internal policy document from the tech giant reportedly allowed the company’s AI chatbot to have romantic conversations with children.

And a U.K. report over the summer found that a growing number of children are turning to AI chatbots not just to study for — or cheat on — exams, but for emotional support, fashion advice, and even companionship.

The Pew report found that use of AI tools broadly increased with age, and was evenly split between boys and girls. Black and Hispanic children were more likely to use chatbots, at almost 70% each, than white children, at 58%. 

Meanwhile, teens from richer families were more likely to use it than those from poorer backgrounds. About 56% of children whose households’ income was less than $30,000 a year said they used AI, compared to 66% for those with household incomes of $75,000 and upwards.

The poll also covered internet and social media use more broadly, with four in 10 teens saying they are online almost constantly, up from 24% a decade ago. Roughly one in five said they are on TikTok and YouTube almost constantly.