A majority of U.S. teens said they use AI chatbots, while about 26% think AI will have a negative impact on society in the next 20 years, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17.
Teens turn to chatbots like OpenAI’s (OPENAI) ChatGPT, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Copilot, and Character.ai for several things.
Over half of teens said they have used chatbots to search for information (57%) or get help with schoolwork (54%). About 47% said they have used the chatbots for fun or entertainment.
About four in 10 each use chatbots to summarize articles, books, or videos or create or edit images or videos, while about one in five say they use chatbots to get news.
There have been concerns about young people using chatbots for companionship, which have caught the attention of parents, advocates and lawmakers.
The survey found that some teens are using chatbots in more personal ways. About 16% of teens noted that they have used the AI services to have casual conversations, and 12% said they have used these tools to get emotional support or advice.
However, the majority of teens report not doing these things.
When it comes to using AI for schoolwork, only one in 10 teens said they do all or most of their schoolwork with chatbots’ help.
Larger shares said they do some (21%) or a little (23%) of their schoolwork with the help of AI. Meanwhile, 45% have not used them in this way, according to the survey that was carried out between Sept. 25, 2025, and Oct. 9, 2025.
About a quarter of all teens said the chatbots have been extremely or very helpful for completing their schoolwork, and another 25% noted that they have been somewhat helpful.
Around 59% of teens think using AI to cheat is a regular occurrence at their school — happening at least somewhat often, according to the survey report.
Meanwhile, teens tend to view the impact of AI in the next 20 years on their own lives more positively than negatively. However, teens are more critical of AI’s effect on society more broadly.
About 36% said AI will have a positive impact on them personally over the next 20 years, while 15% noted that this effect will be negative.
Around 26% of teens think AI will have a negative impact on society in the next 20 years.
Teens are somewhat more likely to say AI will have a positive impact on them than on society (36% versus 31%). However, similar shares of teens expect AI to have an equally positive or negative effect on both them and society.
The survey indicated that similar shares of teens expect AI to have an equally positive or negative effect on both them and society. And some remain uncertain. About 8% said they are unsure about AI’s impact on society over the next 20 years, while 17% say the same about its personal impact.
Three in 10 teens who see AI positively impacting society think it will make life better or easier. About one in five each say it will be good for learning or information or make things more efficient.
Among those who think the impact will be negative, about 34% of them mention overreliance, loss of critical thinking or creativity. A quarter talk about AI taking people’s jobs.
By comparison, about one in 10 mention misinformation or it being difficult to tell what is real. A similar number of them said that AI is a threat or ripe for misuse.
Teens, just like adults, generally think AI would lose to humans across several tasks. However, they are most skeptical about hiring.
About half say today’s AI would do worse than humans, rather than better, in making hiring decisions. Nearly 15% think AI would be better than people, according to the survey.
Around a third said AI will do a better job than humans at teaching skills, while about a quarter noted that AI would do a worse job.
However, it should be noted that there is a level of uncertainty that young people feel about these questions. For example, about a quarter of teens said they are not sure how AI would perform in cases like health care (25%) and employment (23%).
Teens are already very familiar with AI chatbots. More than nine in 10 said they have heard a lot (56%) or a little (39%) about them. About 5% of teens said they have heard nothing at all.
About 25% of teens said they are extremely or very confident in their ability to use chatbots. Roughly three in 10 said they are somewhat confident.