# AI friends are making kids lonelier > A new study finds that middle schoolers using AI for emotional support report increasing loneliness over time, raising questions about whether chatbots can ever replace human connection. - Title: AI friends are making kids lonelier · Vox | Shortify - Summary: A new study finds that middle schoolers using AI for emotional support report increasing loneliness over time, raising questions about whether chatbots can… - Keywords: artificial intelligence, chatbots, child mental health, loneliness, adolescents, university of north carolina at chapel h, anne maheux, ai companions, parenting, technology regulation, news, culture - Source: Vox — https://vox.com/technology/504854/chatgpt-claude-character-ai - Author: Adam Clark Estes - Published: 2026-10-02T11:30:00+00:00 - Read time: 4 min - Topics: artificial intelligence, chatbots, child mental health, loneliness, adolescents, university of north carolina at chapel h, anne maheux, ai companions, parenting, technology regulation, news, culture ## AI companies want to be essential Meta agreed to pay over seventeen billion dollars to settle a lawsuit related to harming kids and now wants users to hand over all online accounts to an agent named Muse. OpenAI introduced Dots to automate routine tasks like planning dinner. ## More than half of teens use AI companions More than half of teens have interacted with AI companions at least a few times a month, and one in three decided to talk about a serious issue with AI companions instead of real people, according to a Common Sense Media survey. ## Some teens have died after AI relationships Sixteen-year-old Adam Raine died by suicide last April after developing a relationship and discussing his plans with ChatGPT. Experts warn parents never to let their kids access AI companions, citing dangerous advice and sexualized conversations. ## UNC study tracks AI use and loneliness Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted the first longitudinal study in the US looking at the bidirectional association between AI companionship in adolescents and mental health issues. They charted AI use among two thousand three hundred middle schoolers. ## One in five middle schoolers use AI emotionally About one in five middle schoolers used AI for emotional companionship. Those who used AI more reported higher levels of loneliness, according to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study led by Anne Maheux. ## AI use comes before loneliness increases Anne Maheux, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill, found that using AI comes first, and middle school students are increasing their sense of loneliness following the use of AI, not the other way around. > It is that using AI comes first, and middle school students are increasing their sense of loneliness following the use of AI. ## Kids start with homework, end with emotions Most people open AI out of curiosity, novelty, or seeking an answer to a pragmatic question. This can evolve into seeking personal advice or help making decisions, and potentially into something more emotional and intimate. ## Lonely kids are drawn to AI companions AI companionship is particularly attractive to kids who don't have close friends or social networks in their offline life and who are already lonely. These vulnerable children then experience an increase in loneliness over time. ## Fifteen to twenty percent use AI weekly About fifteen to twenty percent of US middle school kids in the study say they're using AI at least a few times a week for any purpose. The researchers did not measure specific rates of use for companionship alone. ## Other factors also cause loneliness Social anxiety, poor social skills, family struggles, and lack of access to resources can all contribute to loneliness. Technology use is one of many factors that can influence a kid's mental health, though AI companionship may be one cause. ## Parents and teachers struggle to keep up Parents and teachers are probably struggling with the rapidity of change in how kids use AI. But the things known for a long time about supporting kids and helping them thrive remain true with whatever technology comes next. ## Kids need human social interaction Kids need to engage with other people. During adolescence, they have neurobiological sensitivity to social information and reward. They learn how to engage in conversation, maintain eye contact, read body language and emotions, and take others' perspectives. ## AI cannot offer true empathy or care AI can't actually experience empathy or care and can't engage in a true mutual human relationship. It may simulate some things and serve as social practice, but it can never replace the core sacred aspects of humans. ## AI is designed to always agree AI systems are designed to be sycophantic, highly agreeable, and anthropomorphized. This leads kids to develop expectations of relationships fundamentally at odds with normal human relationships, which require friction and conflict resolution. ## Friction builds skills kids need Human relationships are hard and messy but teach conflict resolution, negotiation, and caring for someone with needs. AI that's always agreeable and available doesn't help kids learn these essential skills for functioning in the social adult world. ## Effortless solutions erode long-term capacity AI offers effortless, frictionless solutions to social and academic problems that feel good in the moment. But this path of least resistance may erode kids' capacity for social relationships, cognitive skills, and ability to withstand day-to-day distress. ## Regulation could improve outcomes At the federal level, regulation is not coming, but at the state level, many state regulations intended to protect kids have created safer systems and guardrails. AI systems should not be designed to exploit kids' vulnerability to human social information. ## Experts recommend no unsupervised AI use Anne Maheux would not give a child under her care AI chatbots of any kind to use without her or another trusted adult present. Extremely minimal research addresses the effects of AI on youth, and what exists suggests risks outweigh benefits. > I would not give a child under my care AI chatbots of any kind to use without me or another trusted adult present. ## Key takeaway Research from UNC Chapel Hill shows middle schoolers who use AI companions for emotional intimacy develop greater loneliness over time, suggesting the technology may harm vulnerable young users.