'It's a friend' Warnings as teenagers at risk of violence use AI for mental health support

It was after one friend was shot and another stabbed, both fatally, that Shan asked ChatGPT for help.

- Robert Booth

She had tried conventional mental health services but “chat”, as she came to know her AI “friend”, felt safer, less intimidating and, crucially, more available when it came to handling the trauma from the deaths of her young friends.

As she started consulting the AI model, the 18-year-old, from Tottenham, north London, joined about 40% of 13to 17-year-olds in England and Wales affected by youth violence who are turning to AI chatbots for mental health support, according to research based on more than 11,000 young people.

It found that the victims and perpetrators of violence were markedly more likely to be using AI for such support than other teenagers. The findings, from the Youth Endowment Fund, have prompted warnings from youth leaders that children at risk “need a human, not a bot”.

The results suggest that chatbots are fulfilling demand unmet by conventional mental health services, which have long waiting lists and that some young users find lacking in empathy. The supposed privacy of the chatbot is another key factor in driving use by victims or perpetrators of crimes.

After her friends were killed Shan, not her real name, started using Snapchat’s AI before switching to ChatGPT, which she can talk to at any time of day or night with two clicks on her smartphone.

“I feel like it definitely is a friend,” she said, adding that it was less intimidating, more private and less judgmental than her experience with conventional NHS and charity mental health support.