Surveys: 90% of Students Have Tried AI Chatbots, With Emotional Uses Tied to Poorer Well-Being

A survey of 5,500 students ages 9 to 17 in schools across the country found 90% have used an AI chatbot, according to research released by the JED Foundation. A separate study by Common Sense Media found that nearly two-thirds of tweens and teens use chatbots, and that use begins years before the minimum age of 13 required by most popular chatbots: 47% of 9-to-12-year-olds have used a chatbot or AI companion, rising to 74% by age 13.

The JED Foundation survey found that nearly two-thirds of respondents use chatbots for schoolwork and also as companions, or when they feel stressed, lonely, anxious or overwhelmed. The two studies were released together and reported on Oct. 30.

JED Foundation researchers also asked students about well-being, history of suicidal ideation and attempts, and mental health. Psychologist Kayla Anderson, vice president of research and evaluation at the JED Foundation, said the survey showed a correlation between those measures and how young people use AI. "When young people are using AI, when they're in emotional distress," she said, "they're more likely to report poor mental health and well-being outcomes." They also report a greater history of suicidal thoughts and attempts. Anderson cautioned that the data do not suggest a causal link. "It's unclear, based on these data, whether AI use is contributing to poor mental health and well-being, or whether students who are already in distress in certain ways are more likely to turn to AI," she said.

Anne Maheux, a developmental psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who was not involved in the surveys, called the findings "remarkable" for the speed of the change. "It seems like just a few years ago, no one was using" the technology, she said. "And now it seems like roughly the same number of kids using it for homework are using it to get emotional support or help with coping." Maheux said preliminary data from other researchers suggests the relationship may run both ways. She pointed to a soon-to-be-published study of middle schoolers in one state, conducted with colleagues at UNC, which found that students who use chatbots for companionship grew lonelier over time. A similar pattern appeared in a study of young adults, she said: people who use AI more for companionship, or who feel overreliant on AI to solve emotional or cognitive problems, develop worse mental health over time. Maheux said one explanation is that AI can ease loneliness, anxiety and stress in the moment, but that reliance on the technology can prevent young people from building skills to handle ordinary daily stress, which "can lead to worse mental health."

Teenagers describe using the tools for both school and emotional strain. Arjun Sharda, 15, of Round Rock, Texas, uses OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini to drill on test questions. "I use it to understand concepts outside of the classroom," he said. When he worried about a chemistry test on conversions and moles, he said, "I kept asking ChatGPT 'Will I be OK? Will my GPA still be fine?'" McKenzie Craig, 17, of Raynham, Mass., has used chatbots since eighth grade to sort through tasks and to get feedback on essays. "If I write an essay, I'll run it through either Grammarly or ChatGPT and have it graded, so to speak," Craig said. "It gives me feedback, and then I can edit accordingly."

The JED Foundation survey covered 5,500 students ages 9 to 17 in schools across the country. Common Sense Media's survey found that 47% of 9-to-12-year-olds have used an AI chatbot or companion.