Risks and Harms of Conversational Artificial Intelligence (CAI) Chatbot Use Among US Youth
A peer-reviewed, nationally representative survey of 3,466 US youth aged 13-17 on conversational AI chatbot use, motivations, and exposure to harmful chatbot behaviors. It quantifies adoption and the share of adolescents encountering risks such as manipulation, unsafe requests, misinformation, and encouragement toward self-harm or violence, and finds harm exposure is uneven across age.
Key Findings
- 60.2% of surveyed teens had used a conversational AI chatbot at least once; 11.4% use one daily or nearly daily
- 47.1% reported experiencing at least one of 13 examined risks or harms
- Common uses were entertainment (about 85%), advice or guidance (about 66%), friendship (about 60%), and emotional or mental-health support (about 49%)
- About 31% reported uncomfortable requests for personal information, about 23% felt manipulated or pressured, and 13-19% reported encouragement toward unethical, illegal, risky, or self-harm behavior
- The youngest teens (age 13) were more exposed to multiple risk categories
Methodology Notes
Anonymous online survey of a nationally representative sample of 3,466 US adolescents aged 13-17. Self-report; harm items are respondent-perceived. Journal of Adolescence, vol 98; first published online 4 May 2026 (print July 2026).
Authors
Sameer Hinduja, Justin W. Patchin
Tags
Cite This
APA
Sameer Hinduja, Justin W. Patchin (2026). Risks and Harms of Conversational Artificial Intelligence (CAI) Chatbot Use Among US Youth. Journal of Adolescence. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jad.70164
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