A new study in JAMA Pediatrics just put a number to something a lot of parents and teachers have been sensing.
Researchers in Ontario surveyed 39,761 students in grades 4 through 12, average age 12.8, and asked a simple question: “Have you ever used an AI chatbot to help you with your feelings or to get advice on dealing with friends, parents, or other people?”
21.1% said yes.
Not for homework. For feelings.
And that group looked very different on mental health measures.
Who's using it, and why?
Affective use climbed with age: 16.2% in elementary, 21.3% in middle school, 25.6% in high school. It was more common among girls (27.2%) than boys (14.2%).
The strongest predictors weren't age or gender, though. They were psychological:
Loneliness: Each unit increase was linked to a 31% higher prevalence of affective AI use.
Mattering: Kids who felt less significant and valued by others were more likely to turn to AI. Higher mattering was protective.
Normalization: The more kids used AI for school, the more likely they were to use it for feelings. Kids who used AI for school "a lot" were 2.47x more likely to also use it affectively.
In other words, if you feel invisible and lonely, a tool that's always available, anonymous, and never judges you is an easy place to turn.
The mental health link
57.7% of affective AI users scored above the clinical threshold for emotional problems, vs. 29.2% of non-users.
Even after adjusting for loneliness, mattering, functional AI use, and demographics, affective use was linked to a 26% higher prevalence of clinically significant problems.
The authors point to what they call the "empathy gap." AI can simulate empathy, but it tends toward sycophancy — constant validation without therapeutic challenge. It lacks crisis protocols, can hallucinate information, and it collects highly sensitive disclosures for commercial platforms. The paper references recent high-profile cases where AI served as a primary confidant for youth in crisis with lethal outcomes.
The authors recommend clinicians — and parents — normalize asking: "Do you ever talk to an AI when you're feeling down, or need advice about friends?"
Kids may hide it because they think you'll judge them or take away the tool. Framing it as a normal part of digital life makes honest conversation possible.
AI as a tutor? Potentially useful. AI as a therapist, friend, or confidant? Not designed for that, not safe for that, and not a substitute for human connection.
References:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2853453