Around half of US teens are using AI chatbots

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-02-03 03:00

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CC-0. Story by Dr Joe Milton, Australian Science Media Centre

Using data from a parental monitoring app, US scientists investigated the use of AI chatbots on smartphones among nearly 6,500 American youths aged between four and 17, and found that around half of teens, around one-in-five 10-12 year olds, and one-in-ten eight to nine year olds are using them. Among the group, 50.4% of 15-17 year olds, 42% of 13-14 year olds, 20.5% of 10-12 year olds, and 9.4% of eight and nine-year-olds used AI chatbots on their phones. On average, kids in the group were only using chatbots for a few minutes or less per day, but some were using them for more than 40 minutes daily, the authors say. With AI use so widespread among children and teens, there is an urgent need to understand its potential effects on young people's development and mental health, they conclude.

News release

From: JAMA

Generative AI Applications Use Among US Youth

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) app use varied widely among participants, with up to half of adolescents having some use and a small subset engaging in heavy use. Future research must address individual differences in GenAI use to determine impacts on development.

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conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

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