American non-profit organization Common Sense MediaA new study focusing on children and family life found that the vast majority of American teens (72%) have tried an artificial intelligence companion at least once. By “companions,” the study refers to AI chatbots designed to help users have more personal conversations, as opposed to AI assistants that serve as homework tutors, image generators, or voice assistants that simply answer questions.
For example, the study's definition of an AI companion might include digital AI characters offered by companies like Character.AI or Replika, but might also include the use of general-purpose chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude, which can be used for more personal conversations if desired.
The study found that chatting with an AI appears to be attractive to U.S. teens (ages 13 to 17), as nearly three-quarters of teens have not only tried an AI companion, but 52% said they are regular customers. Among teens who regularly interact with an AI partner, 13% chat with the AI daily and 21% chat several times a week.
Boys (31%) are also slightly more likely than girls (25%) to say they have never used an AI companion, with a quarter of teens saying they have never tried it.
The findings are based on a study conducted from April to May 2025 using a representative sample of 1,060 adolescents and conducted by researchers at NORC at the University of Chicago. Concerns have been raised about the impact of artificial intelligence on the well-being of teenagers, with companies such as Character.AI being sued over the suicide of a teenager in Florida and inciting violence in Texas. Additionally, there have been numerous reports describing the potential risks of using artificial intelligence for treatment.
Results from a new Common Sense Media study provide a first look at how young people are using artificial intelligence to simulate human interactions, which could include things like virtual friendships, emotional support, therapy and role-playing games.
The analysis also looked at other uses of AI companions by teens, including what tasks teens seek from them, why and what the consequences are.
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For example, nearly half (46%) of respondents said they view AI companions as tools or programs, and 33% said they use them for social interactions and relationships. Teens say they use AI companions for a variety of purposes: entertainment (30%), curiosity about AI technology (28%), providing advice (18%), and being available (17%).
Half of teens (50%) say they don’t trust the information provided by their AI companions. However, older teens are less likely than younger teens (13 to 14 years old) to trust AI recommendations, at 20% versus 27%.
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One-third of teens said they found these conversations more satisfying than conversations with real-life friends, although a majority (67%) felt the opposite.
Additionally, 39% of teens said they are using AI conversations as practice for real-life interactions and applying their initial AI skills to real-life situations. Of the skills practiced, social skills were the most common use case, with 39% of teens exploring this area, followed by starting a conversation (18%), giving advice (14%) and expressing emotions (13%).
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One positive finding regarding whether real-life relationships will be replaced by technology: 80% of teens who have used an AI companion said they spent more time with real-life friends than with an AI chatbot. Only 6% said the opposite was true.