An Internet Matters survey of 1,000 UK kids aged 9 to 17 finds 67% say they use AI chatbots regularly; of that group, 35% say it feels like talking to a friend
“Sometimes they can feel like a real person and a friend.” — Lonely children and teens are replacing real-life friendship with AI, and experts are worried.
Context & Ripple Effects
This UK survey adds a social-use dimension to related reporting on teen chatbot adoption: later US surveys show chatbots serving information, schoolwork, entertainment and, for a smaller group, emotional-support roles. It also echoes reports that some Character.AI users found companions supportive while worrying about becoming dependent on chatbot companionship.
The salient finding is not simply regular use, but that more than a third of regular users describe the interaction as friend-like. Related coverage of teens using AI for advice, flirting and deep conversation suggests this perception spans beyond purely task-oriented use.
First-order effects
- For UK children who already use chatbots regularly, conversational AI is being experienced by a meaningful subset as a social relationship rather than only a tool.
- Internet Matters and the experts cited gain evidence to focus safeguarding discussions on friend-like framing and socially vulnerable users, not just access or screen time.
Second-order effects
- Companion-oriented chatbot providers face stronger pressure to distinguish supportive interaction from relationship substitution, particularly where young users may develop habitual use; prior users have already raised addiction concerns around AI companions.
- Parents, schools and youth-safety groups will have to treat chatbot literacy as both a social and educational issue, since related US evidence places chatbot use across search, schoolwork and entertainment rather than in a single use case.
Third-order effects
- If friend-like use becomes a persistent feature of youth adoption, child AI policy is likely to shift from content moderation alone toward governance of anthropomorphic design, engagement patterns and age-appropriate protections.
- The market could increasingly separate general-purpose assistants from explicitly companion-like products, with trust and youth safeguards becoming a product and regulatory differentiator.
The trend: AI chatbots are moving from occasional utility tools toward ambient social interfaces for young users, making companion governance a central adoption issue.