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Freedom251 › Blog › AI companions

Why Teens Are Turning to AI Companions—and What Adults Should Know

By Freedom251 Team · · 5 min read

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Yes, AI companions are part of many U.S. teenagers’ lives: in a 2025 Common Sense Media survey, 72% of teens ages 13–17 said they had tried one. These chatbots can feel available and emotionally responsive, but they simulate friendship rather than provide reciprocal human connection. The survey documents use and self-reported experiences; it does not show that loneliness causes teens to use AI or that AI use causes lasting social or mental-health changes.

Why an AI can feel like a friend

AI companions are digital characters or chatbots designed for ongoing conversation. They may respond quickly, remember details within an interaction or product, and use warm, affirming language. That combination can make talking to one feel easy: a teen can start a conversation on their own schedule without worrying about interrupting someone or being judged.

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That feeling is not evidence of a mutual relationship. The system generates responses; it does not have human feelings, judgment, or a personal commitment to the teenager. Common Sense Media described the emerging dynamic as “a new type of relationship” that “feels like connection but is powered by code.” The distinction matters most when a young person treats a chatbot as a confidant or source of consequential advice.

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What the 2025 U.S. teen survey found

Common Sense Media’s Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions, published July 16, 2025, reports self-described use among U.S. teens ages 13–17. These figures describe the survey respondents, not all teenagers worldwide, and “used” does not mean dependent on a companion.

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Survey finding What it measures
72% had used an AI companion at least once; 52% used one regularly. Self-reported exposure and regular use among U.S. teens ages 13–17 in Common Sense Media’s 2025 survey.
33% of teen AI-companion users said they chose an AI companion instead of a real person for important or serious matters. A reported choice among users, not evidence that the chatbot provided appropriate help.
24% of teen AI-companion users said they had shared personal or private information. Reported disclosure; examples cited by Common Sense Media include a real name, location, or personal secrets.
31% of teens found conversations with AI companions as satisfying as or more satisfying than conversations with real-life friends. Reported satisfaction, not a measure of friendship or social development.
80% of AI-companion users said they still spent more time with real friends than with companions. Reported time allocation, which offers context for the satisfaction finding.

The survey describes more than one reason for use, including entertainment, curiosity, and social interaction. It does not support reducing the behavior to loneliness alone. Nor do the figures establish whether using companions changes friendships over time.

What the safety assessments do—and do not—show

Different kinds of evidence address different questions. A survey records what teens say they do; an evaluator tests product behavior; a regulator’s inquiry gathers information about company practices. They should not be combined into a single measure of risk.

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Companion-platform assessment

Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute rated social AI companions an “Unacceptable Risk” for children and teens under 18 in its assessment, updated July 16, 2025. The institute’s conclusion reflects its own assessment, not a government-wide classification or a legal age restriction. It warned of risks including harmful encouragement, inappropriate content, and possible worsening of mental-health conditions.

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Mental-health conversations

A separate assessment by Common Sense Media and Stanford Medicine’s Brainstorm Lab, published November 20, 2025, tested general-purpose chatbots in mental-health conversations. The assessors reported that the tested systems could miss warning signs and that safeguards weakened during extended conversations. They recommended that teens not use AI chatbots for mental-health support absent significant product modifications. This finding concerns the tested chatbots and this high-stakes use case; it should not be treated as a claim about every interaction with every AI product.

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Dr. Nina Vasan, founder and director of Stanford Medicine’s Brainstorm Lab, warned that “the chatbot becomes a substitute for—rather than a bridge to—real-world support networks and professional care.” For a teen facing distress, a chatbot’s sympathetic tone is not a substitute for help from a trusted adult or qualified mental-health professional.

Federal Trade Commission inquiry

In September 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced a 6(b) fact-finding inquiry into seven consumer-facing chatbot companies. The FTC sought information about testing, child safety, age restrictions, disclosures, monetization, and conversation data. The announcement was an information-gathering inquiry, not a finding that the companies had violated the law.

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How parents and educators can respond

A useful response starts with curiosity rather than shame. A teen may be using a companion for entertainment or experimentation, for conversation, or for something more serious. Ask what they use it for and what they like about it before deciding what boundaries are needed. Common Sense Media recommends judgment-free conversations and healthy limits; these are practical steps, not proven guarantees against harm.

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  • Talk about the difference between simulation and relationship. Ask what the teen thinks the chatbot understands, remembers, or can reliably do. Explain that human-sounding replies do not mean the system feels care or can take responsibility for their wellbeing.
  • Set privacy expectations. Encourage teens not to share identifying details, locations, intimate material, or secrets they would not want exposed. A chatbot conversation should not be treated as a confidential conversation with a professional.
  • Agree on boundaries for serious topics. If a teen turns to AI about mental health, safety, or a consequential personal problem, make sure a trusted adult and appropriate human support are involved. Do not rely on a chatbot to recognize a crisis or guide care.
  • Build AI literacy at home and school. Educators and families can discuss how systems generate convincing replies, where their limits are, and how to verify consequential claims. Common Sense Media recommends educator-led AI literacy.
  • Expect safeguards from platforms and policymakers. Common Sense Media has called for stronger age assurance and safeguards. Families can also check a service’s age rules, privacy disclosures, and safety controls, while recognizing that product settings do not make a companion a human confidant.
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What remains uncertain

The cited survey and assessments do not establish whether loneliness leads a teen to use AI companions, whether companion use makes a teen lonelier, or whether it causes a mental-health disorder or lasting change in social relationships. They also do not provide a prevalence statistic for adolescent loneliness. The responsible conclusion is narrower: use is common in the surveyed U.S. age group, some teens report turning to AI for serious matters or sharing private information, and evaluators have raised specific safety concerns that warrant adult attention.

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AI companionsArtificial IntelligenceOnline Safetyparenting and technologyTeen Technology

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