Students now turn to AI for emotional support, often out of sight of adults

November 12, 2026 at 08:06 AM
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What You Need To Know

  • Emotional use typically started after a specific rupture, like a friendship ending, a sibling argument or not being asked to homecoming.
  • Students who asked AI to help them understand another person or repair a conflict said they came away more confident with people.
  • About half the interviewees could describe AI’s problematic behaviors in detail, and most of them built their own safeguards.