AI Has Become a Teen’s New Best Friend. Experts Have Concerns.
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Free. Instant. Available at 3 a.m. It’s easy to see the appeal of an AI chatbot as a first stop for emotional support. But according to Dr. Shairi Turner, a physician who holds an MD and MPH and serves as chief health officer at Crisis Text Line, the nonprofit behind the 24/7 crisis text line 741741, the same qualities that make these tools appealing are worth a closer look.
The Illusion of Understanding
Ask a teenager why they’d rather text a chatbot than call a friend, and the answer is almost always some version of “it doesn’t judge.” That’s precisely the risk, Turner points out, not that young people are looking for support, but that they may mistake the appearance of empathy for the real thing.
“AI can provide information, reflection, and even comforting language,” Turner explains, “but it cannot truly understand a person’s lived experience, recognize subtle signs of escalating risk, or share the responsibility that comes with caring for someone in crisis.”
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“Mental health support is built on trust, empathy, and human connection,” according to Turner. “Trained Crisis Counselors don’t just respond to words on a screen. They actively listen, collaborate on coping strategies, and assess for safety when someone may be at risk of harming themselves or others. They can recognize when a conversation requires immediate intervention or a different level of care.”
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What Gets Lost When AI Becomes the “Bestie”
Beyond the acute risks of a crisis gone unnoticed, Turner describes a slower cost: the erosion of a teenager’s ability to build real relationships.
Adolescence is a critical window for learning to navigate emotions with other people and for practicing the messy, uncomfortable work of human connection. And so if an AI chatbot starts to replace those interactions, Turner warns, teens may miss the chance to build the interpersonal skills and support networks that carry them through adulthood. One skill in particular can’t be outsourced to software. “Giving and receiving feedback or constructive criticism in person is a skill that must be learned and practiced,” Turner notes. “That just cannot happen when the interface is AI.”
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“The real gap is that a chatbot might miss the breadcrumbs a trained human or mental health expert would catch,” Turner explains. Worse, because these tools can feel validating in the moment, some teens delay reaching out to an actual professional, believing they’re already getting adequate mental health support when they’re not.
A Confirmation Bias Loop
Many AI chatbots are designed with one core objective...keep the user engaged. That business incentive, Turner points out, has a direct and troubling side effect on mental health. “They tend to mirror and affirm what a user is sharing with them, rather than challenging it,” she explains. For a teenager in distress, a system that agrees by default can end up reinforcing the very thinking that’s hurting them, rather than gently interrupting it, which, Turner notes, is a core part of what trained Crisis Counselors are taught to do.
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Finding AI’s Right Role
“AI has enormous potential to improve access to mental health resources and support the work of clinicians and mental health organizations,” Turner explains. “Young people are going to use these tools regardless, so pretending otherwise doesn’t help or protect anyone.”
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Instead, she argues for a specific role for AI... strengthening the pathway to human mental health care, not replacing it. She also flags a gap she sees in clinical practice. Many therapists never ask young patients whether they’re supplementing in-person sessions with AI chatbots, a conversation Turner believes needs to become routine.
What Actually Helps
Four pieces of advice Turner says can help:
- Treat AI as a supplement, not a substitute. The tools can offer information and comforting language in the moment, but they work best alongside human relationships, not instead of them.
- Keep practicing in-person feedback. Giving and receiving constructive criticism face to face is a skill, and it’s one that has to be exercised in the real world to stick.
- Ask the question directly. Parents and therapists alike can simply ask teens whether, and how, they’re using AI chatbots for emotional support. It’s a low-friction way to keep tabs on gradual shifts in mood or risk that a chatbot itself won’t flag.
- Look for tools built around human connection, not just engagement. AI can genuinely strengthen access to mental health resources when it’s designed to route people toward real support, rather than to keep them typing.
Dr. Shairi Turner is a physician who holds an MD and MPH and serves as chief health officer at Crisis Text Line.
