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Dr. Hinduja’s Top Tips��

More than 60% of U.S. teens use conversational artificial intelligence chatbots for advice, companionship, or emotional support. Dr. Sameer Hinduja, a professor in �鶹��Ʒ��Ƶ’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and co-director of the , offers five research-based tips to help families, schools, and communities protect young people as the technology evolves.

1. Keep conversations open and judgment-free

Parents and caregivers should regularly ask teens how they use AI chatbots, what they discuss, and whether an interaction has made them uncomfortable. Conversations should be calm, curious, and nonjudgmental. When young people can share troubling experiences without fearing punishment or losing device access, they are more likely to seek help after encountering manipulation, inappropriate content, or harmful advice.

2. Help teens understand that AI empathy is engineered

A chatbot may sound compassionate and understanding, but it does not experience emotion or exercise the judgment of a trained mental health professional. Young people should understand how AI systems simulate warmth and affirmation and how those responses can influence their emotions and decisions. This awareness can help teens set healthy boundaries and recognize overly personal or manipulative interactions.

3. Expand digital literacy to include AI literacy

Schools should incorporate AI literacy into digital citizenship and online safety programs. Students need practical tools to recognize manipulation, protect personal information, assess chatbot responses, and understand the limits of AI-generated advice. School counselors and nurses also can ask about chatbot use during mental health check-ins, particularly when a student appears isolated, distressed or reluctant to seek help.

4. Encourage human support for mental health needs

AI chatbots should not replace qualified mental health care or trusted human relationships. Parents, educators, and health care professionals should remind young people that serious emotional concerns require support from a trained professional or trusted adult. Asking about conversational AI use during routine screenings also may identify youths who rely on chatbots instead of human care during a crisis.

5. Call for stronger safety implementations

Hinduja says responsibility cannot rest with families and young people alone. AI developers should build stronger protections for minors, effective crisis-response protocols, and safeguards against unhealthy emotional dependence. Policymakers also should establish standards for age verification, data privacy, independent safety audits, and accountability when AI systems cause harm.

Why These Safeguards Matter

Among those who had used a conversational AI chatbot, 47.1% of teens reported at least one risky or harmful interaction. Nearly one-third (32.3%) said a chatbot requested personal information that made them uncomfortable, while 23.1% reported feeling manipulated or pressured. Other reported experiences included being encouraged to engage in unethical or illegal behavior (18.7%), receiving false information about themselves (17.1%), and being prompted to do something risky or harmful (15.2%). Approximately one in seven said a chatbot encouraged self-harm (14.7%) or suicidal thoughts (13.0%).

Risks were greatest among 13-year-olds. Hinduja says early adolescents may be especially vulnerable to highly personalized interactions because they are still developing judgment and impulse control and are particularly responsive to social validation.

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About Sameer Hinduja

is a professor in �鶹��Ʒ��Ƶ’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and co-director of the . His research examines issues at the intersection of youth, technology, and well-being.

Study Citation

Hinduja, S., and J.W. Patchin. “Risks and Harms of Conversational Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Use Among U.S. Youth.” Journal of Adolescence, vol. 98, 2026, pp. 1597-1606.

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