In a U.S. survey, about 8.2 million people ages 12–21 said they had asked an AI chatbot for mental-health advice, and nearly two-thirds of those users said they had told no one. The findings show that chatbot use is common enough to matter, but they do not establish why a particular young person uses one or keeps that use private.
What the survey found about young people and AI
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics estimated that 19.2% of U.S. adolescents and young adults ages 12–21—about 8,207,180 people—had ever used an AI chatbot for mental-health advice. The estimate came from a survey fielded in November 2025 with 1,009 respondents. The researchers asked about advice when feeling “sad, angry, nervous, or stressed,” not about receiving therapy or having a mental-health diagnosis. Read the study in JAMA Pediatrics.
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Among respondents who had used a chatbot for this purpose, 42.8% said they did so at least monthly. A separate 91.7% rated the advice somewhat or very helpful. That last figure is a report of users’ impressions; it does not show that the advice was accurate, safe, or effective treatment.
Why another survey reported a different percentage
Pew Research Center reported that 12% of U.S. teens ages 13–17 had used chatbots for “emotional support or advice.” Its survey was fielded September 25–October 9, 2025, and covered 1,458 teens and their parents; the teen results represent teens living with their parents, with an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. This is not a direct contradiction of the JAMA estimate: the surveys differ in age range and wording. Pew Research Center’s report.
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The JAMA researchers also reported that 13.1% of U.S. adolescents and young adults had ever used generative AI for mental-health advice in a similar survey in 2024. Because the question wording differed slightly, that comparison suggests a possible increase rather than proving a precisely measured trend.
Why might a young person turn to a chatbot?
The survey describes how many young people reported using chatbots, not their individual reasons. Its authors point to convenience and interactive, personalized responses as features that may make chatbots appealing. They also discuss the possibility that using a chatbot can feel less exposing than talking to another person. These are plausible explanations, not motives demonstrated by the survey.
That distinction matters: the data do not show that young people use AI because they cannot afford therapy, distrust adults, or feel ashamed. Nor do they establish that using a chatbot replaces professional care. In fact, respondents who had discussed their mental health with a physician in the previous six months were also more likely to report chatbot use. That is an association; the survey cannot say whether one led to the other or whether chatbot use supported care.
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What “keeping it a secret” means in the findings
In the JAMA survey, 63.3% of users said they had not disclosed their chatbot use for mental-health advice to anyone. The measure is not limited to parents, and it does not reveal whether nondisclosure reflected embarrassment, a desire for privacy, fear of judgment, or another reason. Among users who did disclose, 28.0% said they told a friend and 16.4% said they told a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher, or physician. The reported categories should not be read as mutually exclusive.
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The authors note that there are no directly comparable studies quantifying young people’s disclosure of traditional, human-delivered mental-health care to parents. So the finding does not tell us whether chatbot use is more secretive than other forms of support.
What the evidence can—and cannot—tell us
The study is a snapshot of a fast-changing technology. It used an English-language web survey with a 58.4% completion rate, and the authors note the possibility of nonresponse bias. Respondents were not asked which chatbot they used; the survey did not compare products, evaluate the accuracy of responses, or measure clinical outcomes. Its results should therefore be read as evidence of reported use and disclosure, not as an assessment of chatbot quality or mental-health impact.
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More broadly, WHO Europe says the relationship between digital technology and youth well-being is mixed and bidirectional: digital activity can affect mental health, while mental-health difficulties can also lead to more technology use. That policy brief offers general context, not proof of a chatbot-specific effect. WHO Europe’s policy brief.
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A chatbot conversation should not automatically be treated as anonymous or confidential. The American Psychological Association’s November 2025 advisory recommends that consumers check a service’s privacy policy and in-app settings. It urges developers to explain what information they collect—including sensitive mental-health information—how it is stored, shared, or used to train models, and how users or caregivers can request deletion. These are recommendations, not assurances about any particular service’s practices. Read the APA health advisory.
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When a young person does not tell a clinician or trusted adult about chatbot advice, those people may not know what is shaping the young person’s decisions or have a chance to add context. The JAMA authors encourage parents, clinicians, and educators to ask about chatbot use and discuss both its potential benefits and limitations. An open question—such as whether a chatbot has been part of how someone handles stress—can make the subject easier to raise without assuming the answer or treating chatbot use as a substitute for care.
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