Child and Teen Safety

Top Seven Things to Know About Teens and AI Chatbots
Child & Teen Safety

Top Seven Things to Know About Teens and AI Chatbots

6/15/26, 12:39 PM 2 min read
Common Sense Media Releases Inaugural Annual Study on AI Use by Tweens and Teens
Child & Teen Safety

Common Sense Media Releases Inaugural Annual Study on AI Use by Tweens and Teens

6/8/26, 12:00 AM 3 min read
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults Use AI Chatbots for Mental Health Advice
Child & Teen Safety

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults Use AI Chatbots for Mental Health Advice

6/1/26, 12:00 AM 3 min read

Growing Up in the Age of AI

Today's kids are the first generation to grow up with AI woven into nearly every part of their daily lives — often spending more time figuring it out than the adults around them. The stakes couldn't be higher.

  • AI is already being used to generate CSAM (child sexual abuse material), making it harder for law enforcement to prevent harm or identify victims

  • Some children have developed deep emotional attachments to AI companions — in some cases linked to documented instances of self-harm

  • Young people need adults in their lives who are informed, engaged, and willing to have honest conversations

  • Schools and parents are being left to navigate this alone, without the tools, policies, or support they need.

Parents need to know what their children are experiencing before it's too late. Being informed is the single most important thing any adult can do right now.

June 2026

A Comprehensive Report on Teens, Tweens, and AI

A few years ago, AI was still just an idea. Today, it's everywhere. And it has moved into kids' lives faster than anyone planned for.

To find out what that actually looks like day-to-day, Common Sense Media surveyed more than a thousand 9- to 17-year-olds across the country. They asked them how they use AI, how often, and for what.

The Common Sense Media Census: AI Use by Tweens and Teens (2026) is the first in a series they plan to repeat every year to learn how this generation's relationship with AI evolves over time.

September 2025

NPR: Their teenage sons died by suicide. Now, they are sounding an alarm about AI chatbots

"Matthew Raine and his wife, Maria, had no idea that their 16-year-old-son, Adam was deep in a suicidal crisis until he took his own life in April. Looking through his phone after his death, they stumbled upon extended conversations the teenager had had with ChatGPT.

"Those conversations revealed that their son had confided in the AI chatbot about his suicidal thoughts and plans. Not only did the chatbot discourage him to seek help from his parents, it even offered to write his suicide note, according to Matthew Raine, who testified at a Senate hearing about the harms of AI chatbots held [September 16, 2026]."