1 in 4 Teens Turning to AI Chatbots for Mental Health Support, UK Study Finds

Study authors said online resources for mental health and support are being disproportionately accessed by those not receiving in-person professional help.
1 in 4 Teens Turning to AI Chatbots for Mental Health Support, UK Study Finds
A teenage girl looking at her smartphone sitting on the floor at home. DimaBerlin/Shutterstock
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One-quarter of 13- to 17-year-olds in England and Wales have used artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health advice and support, a study published Dec. 9 has found.
According to the results of the Youth Endowment Fund’s (YEF) survey, 25 percent of teens in those countries are turning to chatbots for help, making AI more commonly used than other established online or telephone-based resources, including mental health or wellbeing websites (22 percent), chat groups and forums (18 percent), or mental health apps (15 percent).