Pulse Survey: How Teens Are Using AI to Learn, Create, and Connect. Insights from Brazil, France, and the United States

Key Findings

• — Daily chatbot use was reported by 46% of Brazilian, 36% of US and 20% of French teens; most teens are not primarily seeking companionship, but fewer than a third frequently use chatbots to express thoughts and feelings or to socialise.
• — Among US daily users about half thought of their chatbot as a real person (46%), had developed a close relationship with it (49%) and had real emotional conversations with it (51%), versus 18%, 17% and 21% of non-daily users; in Brazil 53% and 56% of daily users reported a close relationship and real emotional conversations against about a quarter of non-daily users; in France 25% and 26% versus 14%.
• — Daily users were far more likely to say chatting with AI is easier or more comfortable than talking to a real person (US 65% of daily users) and to consult the chatbot for decisions.
• — More than 30% of US and Brazilian teens frequently seek AI advice on topics such as college or career planning and lifestyle, slightly fewer on physical and mental health; 59% of US and Brazilian teens found the advice helpful for an informed decision and around 80% of those who acted on it felt it improved the outcome.
• — 46% of US boys see chatbots as a potential friend versus 33% of girls; nearly half of Brazilian teens agree chatbots can be a friend.

Methodology Notes

Online panel survey (Alchemer) of roughly 2,850 adolescents aged 13 to 17 (about 1,000 per country) with prior chatbot use required, fielded 13 November to 31 December 2025 after a US pilot; native-language instruments; Boston Children's Hospital IRB; panel recruitment differs by market; cross-sectional self-report. 52-page PDF released May 2026 (landing page 5 May 2026); questionnaire published alongside.

Sources