How Teens Use and View AI

Source: Pew Research Center · 2026-02-24

Just over half of U.S. teens say they have used chatbots for help with schoolwork, and 12% say they’ve gotten emotional support.

Teens turn to chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot and Character.ai for a variety of things – but information seeking and schoolwork help top the list, while “for fun” is not far behind:

More than half of teens say they have used chatbots to search for information (57%) or get help with schoolwork (54%).

And 47% say they’ve done so for fun or entertainment.

About four-in-ten each report using chatbots to summarize articles, books or videos or create or edit images or videos. And about one-in-five say they use chatbots to get news, according to Pew Research Center’s survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted Sept. 25-Oct. 9, 2025.

Concerns about young people using chatbots for companionship have caught the attention of parents, advocates and lawmakers. Our survey finds some teens are using chatbots in more personal ways: 16% of teens say they have used chatbots to have casual conversations, and 12% say they’ve used these tools to get emotional support or advice. Still, majorities of teens report not doing these things.

And to find out what parents are making of this, check out “What parents say about their teen’s AI use.” A key takeaway? While about half of parents say their teen uses chatbots, higher shares of teens themselves (64%) report using them.

For a minority of teens, chatbots have become a go-to tool for much of their schoolwork. One-in-ten teens say they do all or most of their schoolwork with chatbots’ help.

Larger shares say they do some (21%) or a little (23%) of their schoolwork with the help of a chatbot. Another 45% haven’t used them in this way.

About four-in-ten or more report having used them to get help researching a topic or solving math problems.

By comparison, teens are less likely to turn to AI for help editing something they wrote. Still, 35% of teens say they have done this.

In fact, about a quarter of all teens say chatbots have been extremely or very helpful for completing their schoolwork, and another 25% say they’ve been somewhat helpful.

Just 3% say these tools were of little to no help.

A majority of teens (59%) think using AI to cheat is a regular occurrence at their school – happening at least somewhat often. This includes about a third who say it happens extremely or very often.

Teens tend to view the impact of AI on their own lives more positively than negatively. While 36% say it’ll have a positive impact on them personally over the next 20 years, far fewer (15%) say this effect will be negative.

Still, teens are more critical of its effect on society more broadly. While 15% of teens think AI will have a negative impact on them personally over the next 20 years, that share rises to 26% when that same question is framed around society.

Three-in-ten teens who see AI positively impacting society think it’ll make life better or easier. About one-in-five each say it’ll be good for learning or information or make things more efficient.

Smaller shares of these teens mention that evolving technology is the future (8%), as well as AI improving work (8%), education (6%) or health and health care (5%).

Among those who think the impact will be negative, about a third (34%) mention overreliance, loss of critical thinking or creativity. A quarter talk about AI taking people’s jobs.

By comparison, about one-in-ten mention misinformation or it being hard to tell what’s real. An identical share say it’s that AI is a threat or ripe for misuse. Slightly fewer mention the “human factor,” environmental impacts or AI hurting students or schooling.

Teens aren’t alone in their reasoning. Americans overall see efficiency as one of AI’s key benefits. And we’ve seen notable shares of the U.S. public concerned about job loss due to AI.

Teens are already quite familiar with AI chatbots. More than nine-in-ten say they have heard a lot (56%) or a little (39%) about them. Just 5% of teens say they’ve heard nothing at all.

About a quarter of teens report being extremely or very confident in their ability to use chatbots. Roughly another three-in-ten say they’re somewhat confident.