Lonely Teens Turn to Artificial Intelligence to Find Companionship, Experts Are Concerned: ‘These Are Not Relationships’

AI (or artificial intelligence) is now inevitable. It’s hard to search Google or scroll through social media without coming across AI-generated answers to search questions or not-so-realistic AI images designed to fool your eyes. Of course, one of the biggest concerns about AI is how our children use it and how much that changes, well, everything about growing up, from how they talk to friends or do homework to how they deal with the most human emotions, like loneliness.

A new report from Common Sense Media took a closer look at all of the above, and while the report focused on the intersection of AI and school, it also revealed some noteworthy statistics about how teens are using AI to feel less alone, and to get help with problems personal.

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The report, based on a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 teenagers, found that 15 percent of respondents said they used generative artificial intelligence to keep them company, or prevent loneliness. Of these teenagers, 17 percent were girls (compared to 11 percent of boys). Black teenagers were also more likely to use AI for this purpose: 26 percent of Black respondents said they relied on AI in their company compared to 11 percent of white respondents and 18 percent of Hispanic respondents.

Loneliness is considered a mental health problem due to its close connection with factors such as anxiety and depression. And it’s not just about mental health; among adults, loneliness is linked to dementia, stroke and heart disease, among other physical health problems.

Of course, a way of being less Solitude is about developing real connections with other people, such as friends or family members. There isn’t much research examining whether AI can actually help with loneliness (and none that we could find focusing on teenagers), but a survey of 387 people conducted by this nonprofit Conversation found that while “social support can come from both humans and AI – and that working with AI can actually help people,” AI cannot completely replicate the connection between humans. The authors concluded that “completely replacing personal friendships with friendships with a robot may actually lead to greater loneliness.”

So what does it mean that teenagers are starting to rely on artificial intelligence to combat loneliness – and more? Because the Common Sense report also found that 18 percent of teens surveyed use AI to get advice on personal issues — and once again, the percentage of teens of color was higher. According to the study, 25 percent of black teens and 22 percent of Latino teens used AI to solve personal problems, compared to 14 percent of white teens.

As parents, the idea of a computer intruding on your teenager’s support is understandably a bit irritating – and scary. “We have become a society where it is so convenient to think that we maintain relationships through our devices, and that is not the case,” Jennifer Kelman, a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist at JustAnswer, told SheKnows. “These are not relationships. Relationships are direct human interactions that make us stronger, and because of our devices we have lost the art of human connection.”

Kelman says the new report, especially the loneliness numbers, show how much teenagers miss real life. “(Teens) say, ‘Oh my god, I’m so lonely… I miss that connection,'” she explains. “But no one has a connection because their faces are facing down on their devices.”

Kelman also points to the “AI boyfriends” movement – using artificial intelligence as a romantic companion – as another example of artificial intelligence replacing integral human relationships. “If we don’t know how to get along with people and we don’t know how to connect and look someone in the eye, then what could be better than having an AI boyfriend who does everything I ask him to do?” she explains. “It’s almost like, why wouldn’t (teens) do this since we just gave them this new technology?”

But the point is that A.I jargon completely replace the deep fulfillment that comes with true connection with another person. So how can parents help teens who may be using this technology to fill this void? It starts with talking and showing genuine curiosity about life. The idea is to maintain that curiosity and openness so that your teen knows that they can come to you anytime, anywhere, about anything they want to talk about.

Sure, AI can be available to them at any time, offering immediate solutions that may or may not work. But you, as their parent, can give them something that artificial intelligence cannot: true love for them that comes from knowing and caring for them throughout their lives. This true, deep connection is something artificial intelligence can’t replicate, and it’s what can help soothe a teenager’s loneliness whenever it hits.

Before you go, check out our favorite mental health apps:

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