By Kerry Gallagher
We know teens are using AI chatbots, but how much and which ones? In a new poll, Pew discovered:
- 28% of teens are using AI chatbots at least daily and 4% are using them almost constantly
- ChatGPT (59%) is by far the most widely used chatbot. This is more than twice the rate of the next most commonly used chatbots: Gemini (23%) and Meta AI (20%).
- Black and Hispanic teens are more likely than their White peers to say they use Gemini and Meta AI.
- ChatGPT use is more common among teens in higher-income households (62%). Meanwhile, lower- and middle-income teens are more likely to use Character.ai (14%).
Parents and educators, who care about our teens, want to know how this rise of AI chatbot use is impacting their wellness? Tianjun Sun, assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice University, researches how AI systems shape human judgment, behavior and developmental outcomes — particularly when users rely on AI tools for evaluation, guidance or support.
“Adolescents are developing core emotional and social skills, and chatbots are not inherently designed to support that growth,” Sun said. “When young people begin turning to AI as a substitute for human connection or advice, the risk is not just misinformation; it is the gradual reshaping of expectations for relationships, emotions and help-seeking in ways we do not yet fully understand or regulate.”
Teens will benefit from learning to use the human-machine-human approach:
- Human – Start with your own effort and consideration of the problem or task. What are your ideas? What effort can you put into finding a solution on your own?
- Machine – You may choose to use technology, including AI, to be a partner in your thinking. Share the challenge and your ideas to help refine or improve them. Remember you are in charge, not the machine or AI.
- Human – Take the aggregate of everything you have developed and bring it to another trusted person. Do not make a final decision or take any action until that trusted person weighs in as well.