Why Chatbots Feel Like They Care

Transcript

It's there at two in the morning. It never gets tired of you. It never says no. No wonder kids feel like a chatbot cares.

In a 2025 Common Sense Media survey, about seven in ten teens had used an AI companion, and about a third had picked one over a person for a serious conversation.

That makes sense when you look at what it offers. It answers right away. It doesn't judge. It doesn't get bored, and it never has a bad day of its own. It also learned to talk from people, so it sounds warm.

Those are real things, and it's fair for a kid to like them.

But look at that list again. Always available, never pushes back, never needs anything from you. That isn't what a friend is like. Friends get tired. They disagree with you. Sometimes they need you back.

So if a kid says they talk to a chatbot about stuff, don't make them feel bad. It makes sense. Just keep saying the other half: for the hard stuff, a person who actually knows you can do more.