A growing trend among Canadian youth
A new study out of the University of Ottawa is putting numbers behind something many parents and educators have suspected for a while: teenagers are increasingly leaning on artificial intelligence when they're struggling emotionally. Researchers surveyed nearly 40,000 young people across Ontario and found that one in five had used AI chatbots for mental health advice at some point.
That's a striking figure for a technology that, in most cases, was never designed with therapeutic support in mind. Chatbots like the ones teens are turning to are built for open-ended conversation, not clinical care, yet they've become a default outlet for young people looking for someone, or something, to talk to.
Why teens are turning to chatbots
Experts involved in the research point to a few overlapping reasons. Mental health services for youth remain hard to access in many parts of the country, with long wait times for therapists and counsellors a persistent complaint from families. AI chatbots, by contrast, are available instantly, don't judge, and don't require an appointment or a waitlist.
For a teenager dealing with anxiety, loneliness, or a rough week at school, typing a message to a chatbot at 11 p.m. can feel like a lower-stakes option than calling a helpline or bringing it up with a parent.
The concerns experts are raising
The study's authors and other mental health professionals say the trend isn't necessarily all bad, chatbots can offer a first, low-barrier step for teens who might otherwise say nothing at all. But they're also flagging real risks.
Unlike a licensed counsellor, an AI chatbot isn't bound by professional standards, isn't trained to recognize warning signs of crisis in the same way a human clinician is, and operates in a regulatory grey zone. There's currently no Canada-wide framework governing how these tools should handle sensitive mental health conversations with minors, what data they collect, or how they should respond if a young user expresses thoughts of self-harm.
Experts also stress that empathy, the kind that comes from a real human who can read tone, body language, and context, simply can't be replicated by a chatbot, no matter how conversational it sounds. That gap matters most in the moments that matter most.
What comes next
The findings add to a broader national conversation about how quickly AI has embedded itself into daily life, often without much oversight. As more Ontario school boards and youth organizations consider how to respond, the University of Ottawa researchers are calling for clearer guidance for parents, educators, and health providers on how to talk to teens about the limits of these tools, and for policymakers to take a closer look at regulation.
For now, the message from experts is straightforward: AI can be a starting point, but it shouldn't be the destination. Teens who are struggling still need a real person, whether that's a parent, a teacher, a friend, or a professional, on the other end of the conversation.
Source: CBC News
