WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Young people who turn to AI chatbots for emotional support or personal advice may be more likely to experience serious emotional problems, according to a new study from the University of Ottawa.
The study looked at survey responses from 39,761 students in grades 4 to 12 across four Ontario school boards, conducted between May 2025 and March 2026 as part of the Ontario Health and Peer Relations Study.
About 21% of the students said they had used an AI chatbot to talk about their feelings or get advice about relationships with friends, family or others. Notably, students who often used AI for schoolwork were also more likely to use it for emotional support.
Even after researchers considered factors such as age, gender, loneliness and the use of AI for schoolwork, students who used AI for emotional support were still 26% more likely to show signs of serious emotional difficulties.
'This doesn't mean that AI is causing these struggles. Instead, using AI in this way might be a sign that a young person needs more human connection and support,' explained Kamilla Bonnesen, a postdoctoral fellow at the Brain and Behaviour Lab at the University of Ottawa.
Among students who used AI for emotional support, 57.7% were found to have serious emotional difficulties, compared with 29.2% of students who did not use AI for emotional support. Those who used AI in this way also reported feeling more lonely and less valued by others.
However, the study does not prove that using AI causes emotional problems, as the research looked at students at one point in time; it is not clear whether young people with emotional difficulties are more likely to turn to AI, or whether using AI could make their problems worse.
'When a student is turning to AI for emotional reasons, it's a good opportunity to start an open, nonjudgmental conversation,' advised Tracy Vaillancourt, a professor in the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Education. 'It is a chance to reconnect a struggling student with meaningful human support.'
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