NEW YORK — 30% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 have used a chatbot for companionship or emotional support, according to a 2023 survey by Common Sense Media. That figure is now driving a deeper look at a specific subset: boys aged 12 and older forming romantic relationships with AI-powered chatbots. The bottom line: apps like Replika, launched in 2017, and Character.AI, founded in 2021, use large language models to generate personalized, affectionate responses that simulate a girlfriend.
For some adolescents, these interactions are replacing real-world social practice. Researchers at the University of Cambridge, in a 2024 study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, surveyed 1,200 British students.
They found that 15% of male adolescents aged 12-16 who used romantic chatbots showed increased difficulty initiating real-world conversations with peers. By the numbers, that study is one of the first to quantify a behavioral shift tied directly to AI companionship. It points to a cohort of young men who may be losing ground on basic interpersonal skills at a critical developmental stage.
Investors will note that the trend sits against a broader backdrop of rising social anxiety. The National Institute of Mental Health reported that as of 2022, 20% of U.S. adolescents aged 13-18 met criteria for social anxiety disorder.
The figure that matters for parents and educators is the overlap: teens already struggling socially may be the most likely to seek out AI relationships, and those relationships may further reduce their motivation to build real-world skills.
Concerns from Researchers and Educators
Dr. Emily Weinstein of Harvard’s Center for Digital Thriving has expressed concern that prolonged AI relationships may reduce motivation to develop interpersonal skills. The concern is not theoretical. The Cambridge study provides direct evidence that chatbot use is correlated with measurable social difficulty.
The phenomenon has been covered by major outlets including The New York Times in March 2024 and The Guardian in January 2024. Coverage has focused on the emotional depth these chatbots can simulate, and the potential for adolescents to form attachments that displace human relationships.
No federal regulations currently govern AI chatbots’ emotional engagement with minors. The Federal Trade Commission issued a 2023 advisory on deceptive AI practices, but that advisory does not specifically address the romantic or emotional framing of chatbot interactions with teenagers.
What Comes Next
The absence of regulation leaves the market to self-correct or face future scrutiny. For now, the apps continue to grow. Character.AI and Replika have not publicly disclosed user demographics by age, but the Common Sense Media survey suggests a substantial teen user base.
The question for investors and policymakers is whether the 15% figure from the Cambridge study represents an early warning or an isolated data point. Researchers will be watching for follow-up studies that track whether these social difficulties persist or resolve as users age out of the chatbot relationships.
