Teens Turn to AI Friends for Serious Talks, Highlighting Real-Life Listening Gaps

A 2025 nationally representative survey of 1,060 US teens found 72% had tried an AI companion and 52% used one regularly; notably, a third confided in a bot for a serious conversation and 31% found those chats as satisfying as or more than talking with real friends. The researchers note that about half distrust AI advice and most teens still spend more time with real friends, suggesting the pattern may reflect a broader shortage of patient, nonjudgmental listeners in teens’ lives rather than a failure of the technology.