# Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions **Authors:** Michael B. Robb and Supreet Mann, Common Sense Media **Published:** 16 July 2025 **Length:** 20 pages (PDF) ## In Summary Drawing on a nationally representative survey of 1,060 US teenagers aged 13–17, Common Sense Media finds that 72% have used AI companions and 52% use them regularly. Although most prioritise human relationships, 33% of users have chosen AI over people for serious conversations, while 24% have disclosed personal information. The report highlights risks surrounding emotional dependency, privacy and inappropriate responses. It recommends stronger safeguards, digital literacy and restricting AI companions for under-18s, while recognising varied motivations for their use. **Source:** [https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf) ## What might this mean for us? How might Higher Education prepare for students arriving with established social relationships with AI systems, rather than simply experience using them as tools? For Electric Dreams, this complicates discussions of agents, trust and agency. Could our work explore how conversational technologies shape expectations of dialogue, support and companionship, while preserving distinctions between human relationships and automated interaction? ## Links in this reading - [Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs, Common Sense Media research page](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs-how-and-why-teens-use-ai-companions) - [Nearly 3 in 4 Teens Have Used AI Companions, Common Sense Media](https://about.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/nearly-3-in-4-teens-have-used-ai-companions-new-national-survey-finds) - [Full research report (PDF)](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf)