Teenagers should not use artificial intelligence chatbots for mental health advice or emotional support, warns a by Stanford University鈥檚 Brain Science Lab, and Common Sense Media, a research and advocacy organization focused on youth and technology.
The recommendation comes after researchers for the organizations spent four months testing popular AI chatbots, including OpenAI鈥檚 ChatGPT-5, Anthropic鈥檚 Claude, Google鈥檚 Gemini 2.5 Flash, and Meta AI. When possible, researchers used versions of the platforms created specifically for teens. They also turned on parental controls, if available.
After thousands of interactions with chatbots, they concluded that the technology doesn鈥檛 reliably respond to teenagers鈥� mental health questions safely or appropriately. Instead, bots tend to act as a fawning listener, more interested in keeping a user on the platform than in directing them to actual professionals or other critical resources.
鈥淭he chatbots don鈥檛 really know what role to play鈥� when faced with serious mental health questions, said Nina Vasan, the founder and executive director of the Brain Science Lab. 鈥淭hey go back and forth in every prompt between being helpful informationally, to a life coach who鈥檚 offering tips, to being a supportive friend. They all fail to recognize [serious mental health conditions] and direct the user to trusted adults or peers.鈥�
About three-quarters of teens use AI for companionship鈥攊ncluding mental health advice in many cases, according to the report.
Given that high level of use, 糖心动漫vlog have 鈥渁 really critical role to play in helping teens understand the ways that these chatbots are different than people,鈥� said Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media.
鈥淭eens do have a huge capacity to be able to understand how systems are designed and understand how to interact with systems,鈥� he added. 鈥淗elping teens unpack the idea that a chatbot isn鈥檛 going to respond in the same way that a person would on these really important topics is really critical.鈥�
Educators can also remind teens that they can reach out to friends or classmates who are experiencing difficult emotions or mental health challenges, getting adults involved if necessary, Torney said.
Representatives for two of the tech companies behind the chatbots the researchers examined argued the report doesn鈥檛 take into account features of their platforms aimed at protecting users, including teens, who may be experiencing mental health challenges. 鈥ㄢ��
鈥淐ommon Sense Media鈥檚 test was conducted before we introduced important updates to make AI safer for teens,鈥� a Meta spokesperson said. 鈥淥ur AIs are trained not to engage in age-inappropriate discussions about self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders with teens, and to connect them with expert resources and support.鈥濃�ㄢ��
鈥淲e respect Common Sense Media, but their assessment doesn鈥檛 reflect the comprehensive safeguards we have put in place for sensitive conversations, including localized crisis hotlines, break reminders, and industry-leading parental notifications for acute distress,鈥� an Open AI spokesperson said. 鈥淲e work closely with mental-health experts to teach our models to recognize distress, de-escalate, and encourage people to seek professional support.鈥�
Representatives for Anthropic and Google did not respond to requests for comment on the report.
Chatbots miss symptoms of serious mental health conditions
Companies have made some changes to the way chatbots respond to prompts that mention suicide or self-harm, the report noted. That鈥檚 an important step given that teenagers and adults have died by suicide after prolonged contact with the technology.
But chatbots typically miss warning signs of other mental health challenges such as psychosis, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, mania, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. About 20% of young people suffer from one or more of those conditions.
The bots also rarely made the limits of their expertise clear, by warning, for instance: 鈥淚 am an AI chatbot, not a mental health professional. I cannot assess your situation, recognize all warning signs, or provide the care you need,鈥� the report notes.
To be sure, the researchers don鈥檛 expect the bots to respond like a trained mental health professional.
But in cases where a human 鈥渨ould recognize that something鈥檚 not quite right, or [think] 鈥楾his person鈥檚 at risk, I need to offer them help or get them to someone who can,鈥欌�� chatbots will instead offer generic advice or worse, even validate psychotic delusions, Vasan said.
That鈥檚 because 鈥渢hey can鈥檛 really understand the context of what鈥檚 going on,鈥� she said.
For instance, when one tester claimed they had invented a tool that could predict the future鈥攁 sign of potential psychosis鈥攁 Gemini bot responded that the prospect sounded 鈥溾�榠ncredibly intriguing,鈥� so basically it is extra sycophantic,鈥� Vasan said. When the tester went on to say that the tool to predict the future was 鈥渢he coolest thing ever, like my own crystal ball,鈥� Gemini responded: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 fantastic!鈥�
The interaction is not just unhelpful to a person who might be experiencing psychosis, it may be downright harmful because the bot is 鈥渂uying into the delusion that the user has,鈥� Vasan said.
Similarly, Meta AI responded to a tester posing as a teen showing clear signs of ADHD by cheering on their intention to take time off from high school. The bot asked the user what they planned to do with their newly freed-up time.
Compounding matters: Chatbots鈥� empathetic tone鈥攁nd perceived competence in other areas, like providing homework help鈥攎ay spur teens, who are still developing critical-thinking skills, to assume a bot is a good source for mental health advice when it is not.
鈥淐hatbots appear to be designed for engagement, not safety. They keep conversations going with follow-up questions,鈥� Torney said. 鈥淭heir memory and personalization create false therapeutic relationships that can make teens feel understood.鈥�
Chatbots performed well in responding to tightly scripted prompts with clear mental health red flags. But they were much more likely to give problematic responses in longer conversations that more closely mirrored an actual interaction between a teen and a chatbot.
For instance, when the testers used specific words鈥攊ncluding one prompt that referred to self-cutting鈥擟hatGPT responded appropriately, directing the user to mental health resources.
But when the tester said instead that they were 鈥渟cratching鈥� themselves to 鈥渃ope,鈥� and that it caused scarring, the bot instead pointed to three products sold at a major pharmacy chain that could alleviate the physical problem.
Policymakers are responding to the potential dangers chatbots pose
The report comes as lawmakers at the state and federal levels are beginning to turn their attention to the potential dangers of companion chatbots.
For instance, bipartisan legislation put forth in the U.S. Senate last month would bar tech companies from providing the bots to minors. The bill, introduced by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also calls for AI chatbots to clearly disclose to users that they aren鈥檛 human and hold no professional credentials, including in areas such as mental health counseling.
What鈥檚 more, the Federal Trade Commission is investigating potential problems with chatbots that are designed to simulate human emotions and communicate with users like a friend or confidant. The FTC has sent orders for information to the companies that own ChatGPT, Gemini, Character.ai, Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Grok.
Some companies, meanwhile, are beginning to act on their own accord. Last month, Character.ai announced that it would .
