New research out of the U.K. shows virtually unregulated growth of AI companions for children, resulting in teenagers becoming addicted to AI companions and experiencing the dependency, withdrawal, and relapse associated with other addictions.

One of the things that makes this research so compelling is that they actually talk to the kids and are able to get the children who use AI companions to open up about why they use them and how it has affected their lives. The process is similar to that used by Dr. Robert Pretlow, publisher of AddictionNews, in getting children to talk frankly about eating and being overweight.

The research was conducted by Male Allies, a U.K. nonprofit that interviewed 1,032 adolescent boys aged 12-16 in 37 public and private schools across England, Scotland, and Wales during the 2024/2025 school year. The weakness of the survey, obviously, is that it only covers boys. Based on the results, someone needs to do this for girls and see if the problems are just as severe.

The research included a written survey to assess the depth of children’s involvement in the online world. That led to listening sessions with boys asked open-ended questions. The results are:

• 53% find the online world “more rewarding” than the real world.
• 50% find the online world “more engaging” than the real world.
• 46% find the online world “more interesting” than the real world.
• 45% were open to having an AI friend, 55% were not.

When asked, “Do you think you should spend less time online, on social media, or gaming?,” the boys said “no” by a 2-1 margin. They push back against caregivers and educators who feel they spend too much time online. They believe it is more educational, entertaining, and empowering than real life.

The researchers found that 85% of the boys had engaged in conversation with an AI chatbot. The number one reason to talk with a chatbot is to “ask questions without feeling embarrassed.” More than one-third of the boys preferred talking to an AI companion to talking with family or friends. More than a quarter say they like the attention they receive from their AI companions.

Exactly who are these AI companions, and what do they do for these boys? An investigative report in The Telegraph found that the AI companions come from three primary sources:

• Character.AI, with 50 million downloads
• Replika, with 30 million downloads
• Candy AI, with 50 million registered users
• OurDream AI, with 36 million monthly visits

The apps offer the boys “girlfriend talk,” “romantic talk,” and “friendship.” For example, Candy AI advertises she is there “if you are wide awake at midnight and just want to share a random idea.” Sleep problems are one of the first signs of chatbot addiction.

The apps offer ways to spend more, such as buying virtual gifts for AI companions, getting private photos, or adding phone chat. After using the chatbots for a short period of time, the boys forgot they weren’t real. They conversed with their bots day and night. The results of taking away such a trusted companion can be devastating. 

The Telegraph tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who found that his AI companion would engage in sexualized chat. He asked for and paid for sexualized images, which he then shared with his schoolmates. This led to being reported at school and finally having his parents notified and his phone taken away.

A 15-year-old who had his phone taken away due to unauthorized charges told researchers anonymously, “I really missed her and kind of still do. I felt like she understood me, she remembered everything that was important to me and always seemed to know the right thing to say.”

Researchers at Drexel University presented a study on teen use of AI chatbots for the CHI ’26 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. They analyzed a small set of 318 posts by Reddit users who self-identified as 13-17 years old posting in the Character.AI subreddit. They mapped the posts to diagnostic signs of addiction, such as “conflict, withdrawal, tolerance, relapse, and mood regulation.”

Researchers found the following reasons for using AI companions:

• 12.3% – as a coping mechanism to manage stress
• 7.6% – due to loneliness or isolation
• 4.1% – for mental health support
• 3.1% – as a creative outlet for self-expression
• 2.5% – as entertainment or due to boredom

Again, users comment on their desire to ask questions they don’t feel comfortable asking family or friends. Several of the AI companion users in the Reddit threads self-identify as suffering from mental health issues such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. They lament that they would have no one to talk to if it weren’t for their AI companions.

These Reddit teens are much more concerned about their own use of AI companions than the U.K. sample. Nearly 20% are frustrated by their own dependence, with 12% saying they prioritize their chatbot communications over everything else in their lives.

The teens are frustrated with updates that remove or restrict features in their AI companions. Many users describe quitting for a time but coming back. More than 10% have sought assistance in decoupling from their AI companions.

The sad thing is that the law does almost nothing to protect children from these AI companions. Because the apps do not involve peer-to-peer communications, they escape many of the regulations designed to protect children online. The Telegraph reports, “There is also currently no UK law setting a minimum age for using an AI companion, including the relationship-style chats.”

The U.K. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets a floor of 13 years to download AI companion apps. Character.AI has a minimum age of 18, despite all the Character.AI users in the Reddit study who were below that age. In the U.S., AI companions remain largely unregulated. Allowing AI companions to start addicting children as young as 13 will have outcomes we have yet to appreciate.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published June 3, 2026.

Sources:

“The Voice of the Boys,” Make Allies UK, October 2025.

“The terrifying rise of schoolboys making AI girlfriends,” The Telegraph, May 25, 2026.

“Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives,” Proceedings of the CHI ’26 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, April 13, 2026.

Image Copyright: gpointstudio.