Is Your Teen Talking to an AI Bot? What Every Parent Should Know
By Drew Hertz, MD, President Zest Pediatric Network
There is a conversation happening in your teenager’s life that you may not know about. Not with a friend. Not with a school counselor. With an AI chatbot.
A study published last month in JAMA Pediatrics found that nearly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults — ages 12 to 21 — are now turning to AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Character.AI for mental health support when they are feeling sad, anxious, angry, or overwhelmed. That number has risen from 13% to 19% in less than a year. Among those using AI this way, over 90% found the advice helpful, and nearly half are doing so at least once a month. This data is from a survey with just over 1,000 individuals.
Here is the number that stopped me: 63% of those teens had not told anyone they were doing it. Not a parent. Not a counselor. No one.
Is This a Concern?
I want to be clear: AI chatbots are not inherently dangerous, and teens reaching for them are not doing something wrong. They are doing what young people have always done — looking for someone to talk to when things feel hard. The data actually shows that teens who had already seen a physician about their mental health were more likely to also use AI chatbots — suggesting these tools can work alongside professional care, not simply replace it.
But there are real limitations worth understanding. AI chatbots are not trained therapists. They cannot read between the lines of what a teenager is sharing, recognize warning signs, or make a clinical judgment about risk. They are also not designed to challenge or redirect — and a young person in genuine distress needs more than a thoughtful, well-worded response on a screen.
The Conversation You Should Be Having
We teach our children about safe social media use. We talk to them about drugs, alcohol, bullying, and personal safety. AI chatbots as emotional confidants belong on that same list — not because they are dangerous, but because they are part of your teenager’s world, and open conversation is always better than silence.
Ask your teen directly and without judgment. Try starting indirectly: “I read something interesting — a lot of kids your age are turning to AI chatbots when something is bothering them, like a therapist or a friend. I can see why. Do any of your friends do that?” Then follow with: “What about you? I think it could be helpful — just not something to do alone.” You may be surprised by the answer. If they say yes, that is not a problem to solve — it is a conversation to continue.
If They Are Using AI This Way
Don’t discourage it. Do encourage that it not be their only outlet. Gently guide them toward pairing it with a human connection — a therapist, their pediatrician, a school counselor, a trusted adult, or you. The goal is not to take something away from them. The goal is to make sure no teenager is carrying something heavy entirely alone, with only an algorithm for company.
Three Things to Remember
Be aware. Nearly 1 in 5 teens is already using AI for emotional support, and most haven’t told anyone.
Open the dialogue. Ask your child about it directly, the same way you talk about other aspects of their digital and emotional lives.
Guide, don’t restrict. If they are using AI this way, encourage them to do so alongside — not instead of — a trusted human in their life.
As with so much in parenting, the most powerful thing you can do is simply stay curious and keep the door open.
Drew
Drew.Hertz@ZestPeds.com
