Children turn to AI chatbots for personal advice, report finds

Children and young people are increasingly using AI chatbots as confidants and advisers on relationships, health and diagnoses, according to a report by Børns Vilkår, cited by DR.

The report, based on responses from pupils in sixth and ninth grade, found that half of those who had used AI chatbots had asked them personal questions. More than one in four had held a longer, more personal conversation with a chatbot.

Chatbots are often the first place young people turn when they have health questions, need help wording a difficult message or are dealing with difficult emotions, the report says. They may seek help from a chatbot before speaking to parents, teachers or friends.

Julie Bek, a child psychologist at Børns Vilkår, said young people told researchers that chatbots felt confidential and non-judgmental. But she warned that their advice can sound factual and certain whether it is right or wrong, and urged children to assess chatbot responses critically.

Among ninth-graders who use AI chatbots, 19 per cent had asked about physical illness and 17 per cent about mental illness or diagnoses. Some 31 per cent had sought advice on diet and exercise, while 14 per cent had asked about their body or appearance. Nearly a third had used a chatbot to draft messages to friends or family.

More than a third of those surveyed considered chatbots trustworthy when giving advice about mental illness and diagnoses. Just over a quarter said the same of advice about friendships, family and love.

Bek said it was concerning if young people relied on chatbots instead of reaching out to people around them who could help. Malene Lue Kessing, a senior researcher at Vive who advised on the report, said chatbots could either help young people take the first step towards discussing difficult feelings with family and friends, or become their primary source of support and discourage them from seeking help elsewhere.

Kessing also raised concerns about the effect on young people’s social learning. “In the extreme, you can imagine a situation where two chatbots are texting each other through children,” she said.

Børns Vilkår is urging the government to extend its proposed 15-year age limit for social media to commercial AI chatbots, to protect children’s cognitive, social and emotional development. Kessing said such regulation was an obvious option.