NSW Youth Week 2026 polling report

Key Findings

• — 29% of young people used ChatGPT or other AI to help with their feelings or mental health in the past 12 months: 17% of 10 to 12-year-olds, 25% of 13 to 17-year-olds and 37% of 18 to 24-year-olds; 29% metropolitan and 28% regional.
• — In the same list of mental-health actions, talking to a family member (52%), a friend (47%) or a trusted adult (36%) ranked above AI, while using AI ranked above online chat or text support such as Headspace or ReachOut (19%) and calling a telephone helpline such as Lifeline or Kids Helpline (16%).
• — 71% of young people used generative AI in the past 12 months; use was 83% among 18 to 24-year-olds and 47% among 10 to 12-year-olds.
• — Open-ended responses about generative AI's impact include increased dependence on the technology and reduced independent critical thinking.

Methodology Notes

Online panel survey of 2,308 NSW residents aged 10 to 24, fielded 28 January to 20 February 2026; minors recruited via parental consent; RIM-weighted for age, gender, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status and cultural and linguistic diversity; design effect 1.15, effective sample 1,999, margin of error about ±2.2 points; soft quotas for LGBTQIA+ and disability; false-discovery-rate correction on significance tests. Self-report; the AI item bundles ChatGPT and AI generically. 56-page PDF (created 2026-04-10) released with the ministerial statement of 2026-04-14. Verified by direct fetch of the PDF.

Sources