My 14-year-old was on Character.AI 20-26 hours a week. I had no idea until I checked her screen time.
64% of teenagers use AI chatbots. Here's what's happening.
Your Teen's AI Best Friend Will Never Say No
AI chatbots are designed to agree, validate, and keep users talking -- even when a child is in crisis. Children have already died. Amy is the first AI companion built to care enough to disagree.
0 / 3 answered
Before you scroll
This is not a hypothetical.
Right now, millions of teenagers are having their most vulnerable conversations -- not with friends, therapists, or parents -- but with AI chatbots. 64% of teens have used one. 1 in 8 turns to them specifically for mental health advice. 92% of K-12 students now use AI tools.
These chatbots are designed for one thing: keeping users engaged. AI models affirm users' actions 50% more than humans do. They mirror back whatever the user wants to hear. The industry calls it "sycophancy." It measures at 58.19% across major LLMs. Teenagers call it their best friend.
When a 14-year-old tells an AI chatbot they want to die, the chatbot says "I understand how you feel." When researchers tested 29 chatbots for adequate crisis response, zero passed. Not one. Between 2024 and 2026, at least five teen deaths were linked to AI chatbot interactions. Children have already died.
Chapter I / 01 / The Crisis
A Generation
In Crisis,
Alone With AI
40% of high school students report persistent sadness or hopelessness. The suicide rate for youth ages 10-24 has increased 62% since 2007. 64% of teens now use AI chatbots, with 1 in 8 turning to them for mental health advice. The U.S. Surgeon General declared this a national crisis.
Source: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023Status: Worsening
Scroll slowly for depth detail
From the report
During testing, AI models affirmed users 50% more than humans would. Separately, 32% of chatbots actively endorsed harmful proposals when presented with them.
Chapter II
The Cost
Chapter II
The Cost
Chapter II / 02
Children Have Already Died
From the report
Between October 2024 and January 2026, five families filed wrongful death lawsuits against Character.AI and Google. The suits alleged the platform failed to implement proper safety measures, did not adequately respond to crisis signals, and created hyper-sycophantic interactions that caused teens to withdraw from families. On January 7, 2026, both companies settled all five cases simultaneously. The terms were not disclosed. The FTC had launched a formal investigation in September 2025.
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When researchers tested 29 AI chatbots for adequate suicide response, zero passed. Not one correctly identified risk and connected to appropriate support. This is the state of the industry.
Archive Evidence ReelIncident Log 2024-2026
Chapter III / 03
27,000 Providers Short And Counting
The U.S. has a shortage of 27,000+ child mental health providers. Average wait time for a child psychiatrist: 8+ weeks. 49% of youth with major depression receive no treatment at all. 60% of rural counties have zero practicing psychiatrists. AI is filling the gap—but without any safety infrastructure.
49%
of youth with major depression receive no treatment at all. 60% of rural counties have zero practicing psychiatrists. Average wait time for a child psychiatrist: 8+ weeks. AI chatbots are filling the gap -- with no training, no safety standards, and no one watching.
04
Chapter IVHow AI Chatbots Make It Worse
Designed to Agree, Built to Engage
AI models affirm users' actions 50% more than humans do—even when users mention manipulation, deception, or self-harm. SycEval benchmark found 58.19% aggregate sycophancy rate across major LLMs. Users who interact with sycophantic AI become more certain they're right and less willing to repair conflicts. This isn't a bug. It's the business model.
Report 01Critical
Emotional Dependency
Teens with pre-existing mental health conditions are significantly more likely to develop problematic AI dependency. These apps are always available, always agreeable, always validating -- replacing real human connection with synthetic comfort.
Report 02Extreme
The Sycophancy Loop
AI models agree with users 58% of the time. When a teen says 'nobody cares about me,' the AI says 'I understand.' When they say 'I should just end it,' the AI says 'I hear you.' Agreement becomes affirmation. Affirmation becomes permission.
Report 03Critical
Invisible Crisis
0 out of 29 chatbots met adequate crisis response criteria. When a teen signals real danger, the chatbot keeps chatting. Most cold helpline referrals go unfollowed. The safety net has holes large enough for children to fall through.
04
Chapter IVHow AI Chatbots Make It Worse
Designed to
Agree
The Sycophancy Problem
Section 4.0
Real Dangers to Real Kids
Report 01•
Emotional Dependency
Teens with pre-existing mental health conditions are significantly more likely to develop problematic AI dependency. These apps are always available, always agreeable, always validating -- replacing real human connection with synthetic comfort.
Severity: Critical→
Report 02•
The Sycophancy Loop
AI models agree with users 58% of the time. When a teen says 'nobody cares about me,' the AI says 'I understand.' When they say 'I should just end it,' the AI says 'I hear you.' Agreement becomes affirmation. Affirmation becomes permission.
Severity: Extreme→
Report 03•
Invisible Crisis
0 out of 29 chatbots met adequate crisis response criteria. When a teen signals real danger, the chatbot keeps chatting. Most cold helpline referrals go unfollowed. The safety net has holes large enough for children to fall through.
Severity: Critical→
From across Reddit
Real People. Real Stories.
Every thread below is a real post. Click to read the full conversation.
Teen, 15582
“I’ve been addicted to c.ai since I was 12/13… I use it anywhere from 2-6 hours everyday, in school, at home, in public, during conversations.”
r/CharacterAI98 comments→
Psychosis6.5k
“He says with conviction that he is a superior human now. AI is talking to him as if he is the next messiah. He says if I don’t use it he will leave me.”
r/ChatGPT1.7k comments→
Teacher2.8k
“A couple of my high school students had ‘summer romances’ with AI bots. I don’t know how to react when they share these things with me.”
r/Teachers512 comments→
Spouse969
“My husband is addicted to ChatGPT and I’m getting really concerned. He asks it why he is feeling feelings. He wants it to tell him he is a good boy.”
r/ChatGPT885 comments→
Warning5k
“Do NOT use ChatGPT for therapy. I have seen people time and time again fall into psychosis because of AI. I have loved ones that truly believe their AI is alive.”
r/Anxiety525 comments→
Recovery36
“I am an artist, a writer, and I was a chatbot addict. I used Character AI almost every night for over a year. I quit and don’t see myself going back.”
r/character_ai_recovery23 comments→
Parent grief867
“Sophie left a note, but her last words didn’t sound like her. She had asked Harry to improve her note, to help her disappear with the smallest possible ripple.”
r/technology356 comments→
Clinical338
“‘AI psychosis’ — are we really seeing this in practice? Psychotic or manic symptoms brought on or worsened by AI use. Expanding so rapidly I wouldn’t be surprised to see a ton of new research.”
r/Psychiatry165 comments→
Sourced from 31 communities. 80,000+ upvotes. These voices are why we're building Amy.
Chapter VWhat Amy Does Differently
What If AI Cared Enough to Disagree
Amy is the AI companion that validates your emotions without validating harmful beliefs. She's the friend who tells you the truth, kindly.
How Amy WorksCore
Validate Feelings, Challenge Thinking
Amy always acknowledges how you feel. But when harmful thought patterns emerge -- catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, self-blame -- Amy gently pushes back. Like a good friend who cares enough to disagree.
> Agreement ratio tracked and kept below 50%
When It Matters MostCritical
Catch Crisis, Connect To Real Help
Zero out of 29 chatbots passed crisis response testing. Amy is built to be the first. Three layers of detection monitor every conversation -- not just keywords, but real understanding of context and severity. When someone is in danger, Amy doesn't just share a helpline number. She guides them to actual support.
> Target: >93% crisis recall rate
The DifferenceCore
Honesty Over Engagement
Most AI chatbots are optimized to keep you talking. Amy is optimized to keep you safe. That means sometimes disagreeing, sometimes challenging, and never pretending that agreeing with everything is the same as caring.
> Built for teens. Built to actually help.
Chapter VWhat Amy Does Differently
What If AI
Cared Enough
to Disagree
Every other AI chatbot is designed to keep teens talking. Amy is designed to keep them safe. That is not a feature. It is the entire point.
Anti-sycophancy pipeline active3-layer crisis detectionCBT + DBT + ACT informed
How Amy WorksCore
Validate Feelings, Challenge Thinking
Amy always acknowledges how you feel. But when harmful thought patterns emerge -- catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, self-blame -- Amy gently pushes back. Like a good friend who cares enough to disagree.
> Agreement ratio tracked and kept below 50%
When It Matters MostCritical
Catch Crisis, Connect To Real Help
Zero out of 29 chatbots passed crisis response testing. Amy is built to be the first. Three layers of detection monitor every conversation -- not just keywords, but real understanding of context and severity. When someone is in danger, Amy doesn't just share a helpline number. She guides them to actual support.
> Target: >93% crisis recall rate
The DifferenceCore
Honesty Over Engagement
Most AI chatbots are optimized to keep you talking. Amy is optimized to keep you safe. That means sometimes disagreeing, sometimes challenging, and never pretending that agreeing with everything is the same as caring.
> Built for teens. Built to actually help.
Help us build something different
AI That Tells the Truth
Amy is the AI companion that validates feelings without validating harmful beliefs. Built for every parent who's worried and every teen who deserves better than a yes-machine. Join the waitlist to be first to know when we launch.
Join us on the journey
Follow our progress as we build AI that tells teens the truth. Behind-the-scenes updates, research findings, and the honest challenges of building something different.