A survey of 3,800 young people aged 11 to 25 — across France, Germany, Sweden, and Ireland — found that nearly one in two had used an AI chatbot to discuss intimate or personal matters. For comparison, only 37% said they found it easy to talk to a psychologist.
The survey was commissioned by France's privacy watchdog CNIL and the insurer Groupe VYV. It found 51% of respondents said it was "easy" to discuss mental health with a chatbot. That's more than said the same about healthcare professionals (49%) and considerably more than said the same about psychologists (37%). About 28% of those surveyed met the threshold for suspected generalized anxiety disorder. More than three in five described AI as a "life adviser" or a "confidant."
The constant availability is most of the draw. No appointments. No visible reaction on someone's face. The chatbot is always there. The same instinct is showing up across every corner of how people now lean on AI for intimacy.
A psychologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet warned: "If someone turns to a chatbot instead of speaking to a parent, a friend, or a mental health professional, that is a concern. We do not want technology to make people feel more alone."
Read the rest at Reuters →
