HOUSTON – Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adolescents and young adults have used artificial intelligence chatbots for mental health advice, and most have never told anyone, according to a new study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
Researchers found that 19.2% of Americans ages 12 to 21, representing an estimated 8.2 million people nationwide, reported using AI chatbots for mental health advice in 2025.
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Among those users, nearly two-thirds said they had not disclosed their chatbot use to anyone.
The findings come as the United States continues to grapple with a youth mental health crisis and as AI tools become increasingly common in young people’s daily lives.
Researchers said the results suggest AI chatbots have become a common source of mental health advice for adolescents and young adults.
The study, led by researchers from RAND, Harvard Medical School, MIT Media Lab and several other institutions, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,009 adolescents and young adults in November 2025.
The weighted sample represented approximately 42.8 million U.S. youths.
“In this nationally representative survey, we estimated that roughly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults in the U.S., representing approximately 8 million individuals, have ever used an AI chatbot for mental health advice as of 2025,” the authors wrote.
Use increased from the previous year
The study found chatbot use for mental health advice has grown since a similar survey conducted by the research team in 2024.
Researchers noted that 13.1% of adolescents and young adults reported using generative AI for mental health advice in the earlier survey, compared with 19.2% in the current study.
The researchers highlighted the increase in the study’s key findings, noting that chatbot use for mental health advice had increased by nearly half in a single year.
Participants were asked whether they had sought advice from AI chatbots when feeling sad, angry, nervous or stressed. Examples of chatbots provided in the survey included ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Snapchat’s My AI, Character.AI and Meta AI.
Researchers also noted that the share of young people using AI chatbots for mental health advice was similar in magnitude to the 19.8% of adolescents receiving counseling from a mental health professional, though the study emphasized the two measures are not directly comparable.
Many users return regularly
Among those who reported using AI chatbots for mental health advice, researchers found that 42.8% sought that advice at least monthly.
That included 26.3% who used chatbots at least once a month, 10.8% who used them at least weekly and 5.8% who used them daily or almost daily.
Researchers said the frequency of use may indicate that AI chatbots are filling a gap in psychological or emotional support for some young people.
“On the one hand, the level of engagement among a subset of users, 1 in 12 respondents reported using AI chatbots for mental health advice monthly or more often, suggests that AI chatbots may be filling a gap in emotional or psychological support,” the authors wrote.
Most users found the advice helpful
The study found that 91.7% of users rated chatbot advice as either somewhat helpful or very helpful.
About 25% of users said the advice was very helpful, while 66.7% described it as somewhat helpful.
Just 8.3% said the advice was not helpful.
Researchers cautioned, however, that perceived helpfulness does not necessarily mean the advice was clinically appropriate.
“Perceived helpfulness may reflect AI chatbots’ tendencies toward sycophancy and overflattery, rather than the quality of advice they provide,” the authors wrote.
The study also noted concerns among clinical experts that some users with significant mental health needs could rely on chatbot guidance in place of care from trained professionals.
Most young people told no one
Researchers found that 63.3% of adolescents and young adults who used AI chatbots for mental health advice said they had not told anyone.
Among users, 28% said they had told a friend about their chatbot use, while 16.4% said they had told a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher or physician.
The authors said the lack of disclosure could limit opportunities for parents, clinicians and educators to provide guidance about the strengths and limitations of AI-generated advice.
“Without disclosure by young people on the role of AI in providing mental health advice, clinicians may also be unaware of potentially influential or inaccurate advice provided by these tools to their patients,” the researchers wrote.
Who was most likely to use AI chatbots?
The study found several demographic differences among users.
Females were more than twice as likely as males to report using AI chatbots for mental health advice, according to the study’s adjusted analysis.
Older adolescents and young adults were also more likely to use the technology. Participants ages 18 to 21 were significantly more likely to report chatbot use than those ages 12 to 14.
Researchers also found higher use among respondents who had spoken with a physician about their mental health during the previous six months.
Among users, Black respondents were more likely than White respondents to seek mental health advice from chatbots at least monthly.
Researchers cautioned that the sample size for that analysis was relatively small and warrants additional study.
Researchers call for more discussion about chatbot use
The authors concluded that AI chatbots are already playing a substantial role in how young people seek mental health advice and information.
“AI chatbots are already embedded in many youths’ mental health information ecosystem, underscoring the need for parents and clinicians to proactively discuss chatbot use to promote safety, appropriate expectations, and linkages to evidence-based care,” the researchers wrote.
The study’s authors said understanding that role is becoming increasingly urgent as AI tools become more integrated into the daily lives of adolescents and young adults.
“The finding of this nationally representative survey that almost 1 in 5 adolescents in the U.S. reported use of AI chatbots for mental health advice, with over 40% of users doing so monthly or more often, underscores the urgency of understanding and shaping the evolving role of AI chatbots in youth mental health care,” the authors wrote.