Nearly 20 percent of English teens say they turn to AI chatbots because it’s “easier than talking to a real person,” according to a new survey.

Conducted by the UK-based youth charity OnSide, the study, which surveyed kids in England aged 11 through 18, found that roughly 39 percent of teens — so about two in five — have used AI chatbots for some kind of “advice, support or company.”

To break that down a bit further, according to the report, roughly 11 percent of teens are turning to AI expressly for mental health support, another 12 percent are seeking “company or someone to talk to,” and an additional 14 percent say that they use chatbots for advice about friendships and social situations. Sixty-one percent, meanwhile, said they’ve never gone to chatbots over humans for advice or suppo

See Full Page