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In a U.S. survey fielded in November 2025, an estimated 8.2 million people ages 12–21 said they had ever asked an AI chatbot for mental-health advice. Among those users, 63.3% said they had told no one. The figures describe people seeking advice when feeling “sad, angry, nervous, or stressed”—not people receiving AI therapy or reporting a mental-health diagnosis.
What the survey says about young people’s chatbot use
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2026 estimated that 19.2% of U.S. adolescents and young adults ages 12–21—8,207,180 people—had ever asked an AI chatbot for mental-health advice. The estimate comes from a weighted analysis of a November 2025 survey with an unweighted sample of 1,009. Respondents were first shown examples of chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, My AI, Character.AI, and Meta AI. Those who had used a chatbot were asked whether they had sought advice about mental health when feeling “sad, angry, nervous, or stressed.” Read the study in JAMA Pediatrics.
The wording matters: the survey asked about everyday feelings and advice, not diagnosis, formal therapy, or whether chatbot use improved anyone’s health. It found that 42.8% of the young people who had sought this advice used a chatbot for that purpose at least monthly. And 91.7% rated the advice somewhat or very helpful. That last figure reflects users’ impressions; it does not establish that responses were accurate, safe, or effective treatment.
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Why might they turn to an AI chatbot?
The survey measured whether young people had used chatbots, but it did not ask why each person did so. The study authors point to qualities that may make chatbots appealing: they are accessible and interactive, and can offer personalized responses. They also discuss the possibility that using a chatbot feels less exposed than disclosing feelings to another person. These are plausible explanations, not proven motives for the respondents.
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It would therefore be too strong to conclude from this survey that young people use AI because they cannot afford therapy, distrust adults, or feel ashamed. The data do not identify those reasons. Nor does the study show that chatbot use happens only in place of professional care: people who had spoken with a physician about their mental health in the previous six months were also more likely to report chatbot use. That association does not reveal whether chatbot use supplemented care, replaced it, or followed another pattern.
What “keeping it a secret” means in this study
Among users who had sought mental-health advice from a chatbot, 63.3% said they had not disclosed that use to anyone. The survey did not measure only whether they told their parents, and it did not establish why they kept the use private. It also cannot show that they felt ashamed or afraid. The authors note that there are no directly comparable studies quantifying young people’s disclosure of traditional, human-delivered mental-health care to parents.
Among those who did disclose chatbot use, 28.0% said they told a friend and 16.4% said they told a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher, or physician. These categories should not be read as mutually exclusive: a person may have told more than one kind of person.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The authors warn that nondisclosure can leave clinicians and trusted adults unaware of advice that may influence a young person, including advice that could be inaccurate. They encourage parents, clinicians, and educators to ask about chatbot use and discuss both potential benefits and limitations. As the study authors put it, “Although mental health advice from AI chatbots may circumvent stigma associated with disclosure to adults or peers, this privacy also poses risks if individuals do not disclose their use of these tools to health care professionals or trusted adults.”
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How this estimate compares with other surveys
A separate Pew Research Center survey found that 12% of U.S. teens ages 13–17 had used chatbots for “emotional support or advice.” Pew surveyed 1,458 teens and their parents between September 25 and October 9, 2025; the teen results represent teens living with their parents and have an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. Pew’s report explains its findings and methods.
The 12% and JAMA Pediatrics’ 19.2% figures are not a direct contradiction. The JAMA estimate covers ages 12–21 and asks about mental-health advice when feeling sad, angry, nervous, or stressed. Pew covers ages 13–17 and asks about emotional support or advice. The populations and question wording differ, even though both measure reported ever-use.
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The JAMA paper also compares its result with a 2024 survey by the same research team: 13.1% of U.S. adolescents and young adults reported ever using generative AI for mental-health advice. The wording was slightly different, so the change to 19.2% is suggestive rather than a perfectly matched trend measurement.
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Privacy and safety questions to consider
A chatbot conversation should not be assumed to be anonymous or confidential. Privacy practices vary by service, so a young person considering one should check that service’s current privacy policy and in-app settings, especially what happens to sensitive mental-health information. The American Psychological Association’s November 2025 advisory recommends caution with personal data. It also urges developers to explain what information they collect, how it is stored, shared, or used for model training, and how users or caregivers can request deletion. These are recommendations, not guarantees about any particular chatbot. Read the APA health advisory.
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There is no reliable product-by-product clinical comparison in these surveys. A service’s claims or a user’s feeling that a response helped do not establish clinical quality. When evaluating a specific tool, look for clear information about its intended purpose, data handling, age protections, crisis escalation, and whether its use has been clinically evaluated; verify those details in the service’s current documentation.
The broader digital-health context is also complex. WHO Europe’s 2025 policy brief says digital technology can have both positive and negative effects on youth well-being, with vulnerable young people potentially experiencing negative effects disproportionately. It describes a bidirectional relationship: digital activity may affect mental health, while mental-health issues may also drive further technology use. This is context about digital technology generally, not evidence that chatbots cause or resolve mental-health problems. Read the WHO Europe policy brief.
What the evidence cannot tell us
The JAMA Pediatrics survey is a snapshot, not an evaluation of chatbot treatment. It did not identify which chatbot each respondent used, compare services, assess the accuracy of individual answers, or measure clinical outcomes. Its authors also note the sample size of 1,009, a 58.4% completion rate, an English-language web survey, and possible nonresponse bias. The results provide a national estimate of reported behavior, but they do not explain each young person’s experience or establish what caused the behavior.
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