Young people increasingly rely on AI chatbots to cope with loneliness

Two recent surveys found that 22.5% of young respondents turn to AI chatbots to cope with negative emotions, with some reporting that they find the interactions helpful.

The Sheng Kung Hui Macau Social Services Coordination Office released results of two youth surveys conducted between June and September last year, which collected 952 and 932 valid responses from young people ages 13 to 35.

The four-year synthesized data indicate that about 39% of respondents reported high levels of loneliness and unmet social needs, and nearly 23% said they turn to AI chatbots for conversation when experiencing negative emotions – a trend researchers warned should be approached with caution as a form of emotional support.

The surveys found that average daily social media use among young respondents rose to 3.53 hours from 1.64 hours in 2022, while weekly use of AI tools averaged 2.3 hours.

Notably, 68.2% said they were unaware or not very aware of errors or misleading outputs from AI models, raising concerns about youth awareness of the accuracy and risks of generative AI.

Another survey focusing on health awareness found that young people have above-average health awareness but face widespread problems: 65% reported sleep disorders; about 40% said they either take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep or wake too early at least once a week; nearly 90% acknowledged the benefits of exercise, though only 60% exercise weekly, averaging 3.06 hours; and half of adolescents ages 13-18 frequently eat while watching videos.

Researchers concluded that today’s youth face complex challenges stemming from the interplay between digital life and their physical and mental health.