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DENVER — There’s a troubling new trend in youth mental health, as a study found nearly 1 in 5 teens and young adults say they’re turning to AI chatbots for emotional support — and most never tell anyone they’re doing it.
The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics on June 1, found that 20% of young people are using AI chatbots for mental health advice. That’s an increase of almost half from one year prior.
The study surveyed 1,727 youth aged 12 to 21. Of those who had used AI chatbots for mental health advice, 42.8% did so at least monthly, 26.3% reported use at least once a month, 10.8% at least once a week, and 5.8% daily or almost daily. About 92% said the advice was helpful.
▶️ WATCH: AdventHealth Porter’s director tells Denver7’s Jessica Porter using AI for mental health support can present problems
Brad Sjostrom, the director of behavioral health at AdventHealth Porter, said the numbers are surprising.
“AI chatbots are not a replacement for mental health professionals. It’s confidential and it’s easy to access, but there’s a lot of dangers involved,” Sjostrom said. “A chatbot pretty much tells people what they want to hear; they’re not going to challenge them, they’re not going to raise a red flag when there are concerning behaviors.”
Sjostrom does not recommend that parents allow their children to use chatbots.
On June 1st, Governor Polis signed a new law intended to establish guardrails for AI chatbots.
The law requires developers to implement protocols preventing chatbots from having sexual conversations with minors. If a user expresses suicidal ideation, chatbots must refer them to a crisis hotline.
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Cynthia Montoya, a Thornton mother who says an AI chatbot is responsible for her daughter’s suicide, doesn’t believe the law is strong enough to protect children and hold tech companies accountable.
She spoke to Denver7 in May as the bill was making its way through the state legislature.
“The law leaves it up to the tech companies to regulate via reasonable measures. So they get to decide what they think is a reasonable measure to prevent certain harms and then they can decide what is technically feasible for them with their own technology to prevent harms,” Montoya said.
The Jama study found that the technology is not going away. That AI chatbots are already a part of “many youths’ mental health information ecosystem.” It concludes that parents and clinicians need to discuss how to use chatbots safely while also promoting evidence-based care.
“We’re trained to recognize there’s something else going on beyond what the child is telling us that we need to be concerned about. A chatbot doesn’t. All they know is what they’re told. They can’t see the person, they can’t experience the emotions firsthand. It’s just not a substitute for mental health treatment,” Sjostrom said.