1 in 5 Young AI Users Prefer Talking to Tech Over Humans: Study

The study follows another that suggested that more than one in three adults (37 percent) have turned to AI chatbots for mental health support.Stockfour/Shutterstock11/19/2025|Updated: 11/19/2025Almost one in five (19 percent) 11- to 18-year-olds in England who use artificial intelligence (AI) instead of talking to someone say they do so because it is easier than talking to a real person, a study published on Nov. 19 has found.The analysis was carried out by OnSide for the youth charity’s fourth “Generation Isolation” report, which looks at how young people spend their time.Victoria Friedman is a UK-based reporter covering a wide range of national stories.Author’s Selected Articles