Study: One in 4 British Teenagers Turning to AI Chatbots for Mental Support

One in four British teenagers have used an AI chatbot for mental health support in the past year, a study from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) found.

YEF, a London-based organization, surveyed 11,000 children between the ages of 13 and 16 in England and Wales for the study. The Independent detailed on Tuesday the study found that more than half of respondents used some form of mental health support in the last year, with a quarter of the total having used AI chatbots.

Those who were both victims or perpetrators of violence were reportedly marked to be more likely to be using AI for such purposes than other teenagers.  

“The YEF said AI chatbots could appeal to struggling young people who feel it is safer and easier to speak to an AI chatbot anonymously at any time of day rather than speaking to a professional,” outlet wrote.

The findings, the Independent said, prompted youth leaders to warn that children at risk “need a human not a bot.”

“Too many young people are struggling with their mental health and can’t get the support they need. It’s no surprise that some are turning to technology for help.” YEF CEO Jon Yates said. “We have to do better for our children, especially those most at risk. They need a human, not a bot.”

The Guardian, noting long waiting lists for services at the time of the report’s publication, explained the case of an 18 year-old from Tottenham identified with the pseudonym “Shan,” who recounted having started using Snapchat’s AI before switching to ChatGPT after her friends were killed. “Shan” told the outlet that she can talk to the AI service “at any time of day or night with two clicks on her smartphone.”

“I feel like it definitely is a friend,” she said, asserting that it was “less intimidating, more private, and less judgmental than her experience” with conventional than the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) and charity mental health support.

“The more you talk to it like a friend it will be talking to you like a friend back,” she added. “If I say to chat ‘Hey bestie, I need some advice.’ Chat will talk back to me like it’s my best friend, she’ll say, ‘Hey bestie, I got you girl.’”

“Shan” also told the Guardian AI was not just 24/7 accessible, but that it would not tell teachers or parents about what she disclosed, which she described as a “considerable advantage” over a school therapist based on her own experience of what she thought were “confidences being shared with teachers and her mother.”

“The current system is so broken for offering help for young people. Chatbots provide immediate answers. If you’re going to be on the waiting list for one to two years to get anything, or you can have an immediate answer within a few minutes … that’s where the desire to use AI comes from,” Another teenage user of AI for mental health told The Guardian on condition of anonymity.