To what extent do our Teenagers use AI Bots for Friendship?
By Rachel Mortimer | Posted: Wednesday June 10, 2026
It is estimated that a quarter of Kiwi school-aged children use AI chatbots for companionship or emotional support.
Some young people use AI to practice social skills or to cope with loneliness, but others, often our more vulnerable young people, rely on it for connection and friendship. Globally, 75% of teenagers are using AI companions regularly.
It can be argued that this causes artificial relationships because the chatbot will never disagree with you and will always take your side. There is the potential to cause disruptions to real life relationships and users can be exposed to harmful advice or information. Some experts claim that AI companions are so agreeable that users become less empathetic, more selfish and less able to handle real-life conflict.
There are a number of articles that can help you understand this growing issue for our young people.
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