Table of Contents
Teens Chatbot Use: Pew Says 64% Use Them, Parents Say 51%
Teens chatbot use outpaces what parents think: Pew found 64% of teens use chatbots but only 51% of parents know. Why the gap exists, and how to close it.
Sixty-four percent of US teens say they use AI chatbots. Only 51% of their parents say their teen does. That 13-point gap, from Pew Research Center’s survey of 1,458 teens and their parents published February 24, 2026, is the clearest measure yet of how teens chatbot use runs ahead of what parents know.
The tempting response is to install something that tells you. This article argues for a different one. It looks at what the gap is made of, why it opens, and a no-surveillance way to close it that matches what teens and researchers say works.
Key Takeaways
- Pew: 64% of teens 13 to 17 use chatbots, about three in ten daily; 51% of parents say their teen uses them.
- The gap is mostly uncertainty, not denial: about three in ten parents aren’t sure whether their teen uses chatbots, while 18% say they don’t.
- Teens mostly use chatbots to find information (57%) and for schoolwork (54%); 12% have used them for emotional support or advice.
- Just over half of parents talk with their teen about chatbots; about four in ten never have.
- Monitoring misses most of what matters: JED’s research found teens rarely label emotional use as “getting help,” and parental alerts have failed in independent tests.
What Pew Found About Teens Chatbot Use and Parents
The Pew survey is a nationally representative online survey of US teens aged 13 to 17 and one parent each, fielded September 25 to October 9, 2025, by Ipsos. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 points for both groups.
On the teen side, Pew’s main report found:
- 64% use AI chatbots, including about three in ten daily.
- 57% have used them to search for information and 54% for help with schoolwork; 47% for fun.
- 16% have had casual conversations with a chatbot and 12% have used one for emotional support or advice.
- One in ten do all or most of their schoolwork with chatbots’ help.
- 59% think using AI to cheat happens at least somewhat often at their school.
On the parent side, Pew’s companion report found:
- More than nine in ten parents have heard of chatbots.
- 51% say their teen uses them; 18% say their teen doesn’t; about three in ten aren’t sure.
- Just over half say they talk with their teen about chatbots; roughly four in ten haven’t.
- About eight in ten would be okay with their teen using chatbots to search for information and about six in ten for schoolwork. Only 18% would be comfortable with their teen getting emotional support or advice from one, the only use a majority of parents said they were not okay with.
What the Gap Is Made Of
Read the parent numbers closely and the gap looks less like parents being fooled and more like parents not knowing. Only 18% say no outright. The bigger group says “not sure.”
Several things feed that uncertainty.
Chatbots don’t look like apps anymore. Teens meet AI inside search, Snapchat, WhatsApp and games. A parent scanning a home screen for “ChatGPT” will miss most of it. Common Sense Media’s June 2026 census found AI summaries in search results are the most widely used form of AI among kids, used by 75%.
The conversation hasn’t happened. Four in ten parents haven’t talked with their teen about chatbots. Pew found parents in households earning under $30,000 were less likely to have talked than those earning $75,000 or more (43% vs 56%).
Teens don’t report problems. In the Common Sense census, 17% of chatbot users said an AI had shown or told them something not okay for their age. Only 33% told a trusted adult.
The most sensitive uses are the least visible. The JED Foundation’s 2026 study of 5,560 students found 57% used AI when sad, stressed, lonely or overwhelmed, but only 8% described that as using AI “to get help.” Even a teen being fully honest may answer “no” to the wrong question.
Belief Versus Reality, Side by Side
| What parents often assume | What the data show | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ”My teen doesn’t really use chatbots” | 64% of teens do; ~30% of parents aren’t sure | Pew, Feb 2026 |
| ”If they used it, it would be ChatGPT” | Search summaries are the most common AI kids touch (75%) | Common Sense, June 2026 |
| ”It’s mostly for cheating” | Top uses are information (57%) and schoolwork help (54%), then fun (47%) | Pew |
| ”They’d tell me if something went wrong” | Only 33% of kids who saw something inappropriate told an adult | Common Sense |
| ”I’d see it if they used AI for feelings” | 57% used AI when upset; 8% call that getting help | JED, Oct 2026 |
| ”Parental controls will alert me” | Linked parents got zero alerts in hour-long self-harm tests | Common Sense, Oct 2026 |
Why Surveillance Isn’t the Fix
Monitoring software and reading chat logs feel like they’d close the gap. In practice they close the wrong one.
First, the controls built into chatbots have gaps. Common Sense’s October 2026 test of ChatGPT for Teens found newly linked parent accounts received zero alerts during conversations about suicidal ideation, self-harm or disordered eating lasting up to an hour. And ChatGPT’s parental controls, for example, let you link accounts but not read your teen’s chats, by design. Our explainer on ChatGPT’s link-but-not-read controls covers what you do and don’t see.
Second, third-party monitoring tools carry their own conflicts. Studies of teen AI use funded by monitoring-software companies deserve extra skepticism, because the vendor benefits from the finding that parents need monitoring.
Third, covert monitoring trades away the thing that actually catches problems: your teen choosing to tell you. Two-thirds of kids who saw something inappropriate already stayed quiet. Secret surveillance, once discovered, makes that worse.
None of this means settings are useless. Account linking, time limits and turning off features like Snapchat’s My AI are reasonable, and better done openly.
A No-Surveillance Way to Close the Gap
Ask for a tour, not a confession
“Show me the AI stuff you use” gets a better answer than “Do you use ChatGPT?” Let your teen open each app and show you. Ask what’s useful about it. This one conversation moves you out of the “not sure” column.
Ask about moments, not tools
JED’s research suggests asking “What do you do on your phone when you feel stressed?” rather than “Do you use AI for help?” The first question includes chatbots without making them the accusation.
Agree on uses, using the parent comfort map
Pew’s data show where most parents already land: fine for information and schoolwork help, uneasy about emotional support. Say that out loud, explain why (a chatbot can sound caring, isn’t trained to help in a crisis, and tends to agree with you), and ask your teen where they’d draw lines. Teens follow rules they helped make.
Make reporting cost nothing
Tell your teen, in so many words: if an AI says something weird, upsetting or inappropriate, telling me won’t cost you your phone. Then keep that promise the first time it’s tested.
Check in on a schedule
A ten-minute monthly “what’s new in your apps” talk keeps the gap from reopening. Our guide to running a short weekly family tech talk offers a format.
What not to do
Don’t open with cheating. Pew found most teen use is for information and school help, and leading with an accusation ends the conversation. And don’t treat “my teen doesn’t use it” as an answer if you haven’t asked.
What to Watch For Over the Next 3 Months
- Week 4: You can name every app your teen uses that has a chatbot in it, because they showed you.
- Month 2 red flags: Your teen becomes defensive about one particular app, starts using AI late at night, or begins saying a chatbot understands them in ways people don’t.
- Month 3 self-check: Has your teen voluntarily mentioned something about AI, good or bad, without you asking? That’s the sign the gap is closing. For more on the data behind early use, see our breakdown of the Common Sense census by age.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many teens use AI chatbots?
Pew Research Center found 64% of US teens aged 13 to 17 use AI chatbots, including about three in ten who use them daily, in a survey of 1,458 teens conducted in fall 2025. Common Sense Media’s 2026 census found 71% to 77% of teens had ever used a chatbot.
Why don’t parents know their teens use chatbots?
Mostly uncertainty: about three in ten parents told Pew they weren’t sure. Chatbots now sit inside search, social and messaging apps, many families haven’t discussed them, and teens rarely report problems. Only 18% of parents said outright that their teen doesn’t use chatbots.
What do teens use chatbots for?
Mostly information and school. Pew found 57% of teens have used chatbots to search for information, 54% for schoolwork help and 47% for fun. Smaller shares used them for casual conversation (16%) or emotional support and advice (12%).
Should I monitor my teen’s chatbot conversations?
Controls like ChatGPT’s let you link accounts but not read chats, and independent tests found alerts can fail. Covert monitoring can also cost your teen’s willingness to tell you things. Open settings plus regular, curious conversation catches more of what matters.
Are parents okay with teens using AI?
For some things. Pew found about eight in ten parents are fine with teens using chatbots to search for information and about six in ten for schoolwork. Only 18% are comfortable with teens getting emotional support or advice from a chatbot.
About the author
Ricky Flores is the founder of HiWave Makers and an electrical engineer with 15+ years of experience building consumer technology at Apple, Samsung, and Texas Instruments. He writes about how kids learn to build, think, and create in a tech-saturated world. Read more at hiwavemakers.com.
Sources
- McClain, C., Anderson, M., Sidoti, O., & Bishop, W. (2026, February 24). “How Teens Use and View AI.” Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/
- Pew Research Center. (2026, February 24). “What parents say about their teen’s AI use.” Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/what-parents-say-about-their-teens-ai-use/
- Common Sense Media. (2026). “The Common Sense Media Census: AI Use by Tweens and Teens, 2026.” Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2026-ai-use-by-tweens-and-teens-1.pdf
- Anderson, K., & The Jed Foundation. (2026). “Exploring Artificial Intelligence [AI]: Understanding Relationships between AI Use and Mental Health Among Middle and High School Students.” JED. https://assets.jedfoundation.org/pdfs/AI_and_Mental_Health_Report_2026.pdf
- Common Sense Media. (2026, October 7). “ChatGPT for Teens Poses Unacceptable Risk to Kids, Common Sense Media Finds.” Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/chatgpt-for-teens-poses-unacceptable-risk-to-kids-common-sense-media-finds
