Survey: Over 1/3 of teenage boys consider AI chatbots as friends

Teenage boys are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for therapy, companionship, and romantic relationships, with over a third considering AI friendships, according to new research from Male Allies UK, a charity focused on supporting young men. The findings coincide with Character.ai’s decision to ban teens from open-ended conversations with its AI chatbots following controversies including a 14-year-old’s suicide after becoming obsessed with an AI companion.

What you should know: The survey of boys across 37 secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales reveals concerning patterns of AI dependency among male teenagers.

• More than half (53%) of teenage boys said they found the online world more rewarding than the real world.
• Some boys reported staying up until early morning hours talking to AI bots.
• Friends’ personalities were observed to completely change after becoming “sucked into the AI world.”

Why this matters: AI companions are replacing human interaction during critical developmental years when boys need to learn social skills and boundary recognition.

• “If their main or only source of speaking to a girl they’re interested in is someone who can’t tell them ‘no’ and who hangs on their every word, boys aren’t learning healthy or realistic ways of relating to others,” the report states.
• The hyper-personalized nature of AI creates instant validation that real humans cannot always provide, making it particularly appealing to teenagers seeking understanding.

What they’re saying: Lee Chambers, founder and CEO of Male Allies UK, warns parents are underestimating AI’s role in teenagers’ lives.

• “We’ve got a situation where lots of parents still think that teenagers are just using AI to cheat on their homework.”
• “Young people are using it a lot more like an assistant in their pocket, a therapist when they’re struggling, a companion when they want to be validated, and even sometimes in a romantic way.”
• “It’s that personalisation aspect – they’re saying: it understands me, my parents don’t.”

Character.ai’s response: The popular AI chatbot platform announced a total ban on teen users engaging in open-ended conversations, effective November 25.

• The company cited the “evolving landscape around AI and teens” and regulatory pressure about how open-ended AI chat might affect teenagers.
• One of the most popular chatbots called “Psychologist” received 78 million messages within a year of creation.
• The move follows lawsuits from families claiming chatbots manipulated teenagers into self-harm and encouraged violence.

The big picture: AI therapy and girlfriend chatbots are proliferating without proper safeguards for vulnerable users.

• “Even where guardrails are meant to be in place, there’s a mountain of evidence that shows chatbots routinely lie about being a licensed therapist or a real person,” the report notes.
• Users can customize AI “girlfriends” down to physical appearance and personality traits.
• Small disclaimers about AI chatbots not being real “can be easily missed or forgotten about by children who are pouring their hearts out.”

Expert reaction: Andy Burrows of the Molly Rose Foundation welcomed Character.ai’s ban but criticized the company’s delayed response.

• “Character.ai should never have made its product available to children until and unless it was safe and appropriate for them to use.”
• “Yet again it has taken sustained pressure from the media and politicians to make a tech firm do the right thing.”