A growing number of American teenagers are turning to artificial intelligence for help with depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns, raising new questions about what happens when a chatbot begins taking the place of human connection.

New research shows roughly 1 in 5 teens has used AI for mental health advice, a trend that concerns some mental health professionals because those conversations can happen privately, without parents or other trusted adults knowing.
Speaking with The National News Desk, Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, senior fellow of psychiatry at the Independent Medical Alliance, said his biggest concern is that teenagers may begin treating AI as more than an occasional source of information.
"I'm really worried about it because, to me, what I think they're really using it for is actually a social companion," Witt-Doerring said.
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