Use of Generative AI for Mental Health Advice Among US Adolescents and Young Adults

• Prevalence of generative AI use for mental health advice among US youths. — 13.1% (US English-speaking youths aged 12-21 with internet access)
• Prevalence of generative AI use for mental health advice among young adults. — 22.2% (Aged 18 to 21 years)
• Frequency of AI mental health advice usage among users. — 65.5% monthly or more often (Among those who reported using generative AI for mental health advice)
• Perceived helpfulness of AI mental health advice. — 92.7% somewhat or very helpful (Among those who reported using generative AI for mental health advice)
• Likelihood of using generative AI for mental health advice for young adults vs younger adolescents. — aOR 3.99 (95% CI, 1.90-8.34) (Aged 18 to 21 years)
• Perceived helpfulness of AI advice for Black respondents vs White non-Hispanic respondents. — aOR 0.15 (95% CI, 0.04-0.65) (Black respondents reported lower helpfulness)

Setup

1,058 respondents (from 2,125 contacted) aged 12-21 years from RAND’s American Life Panel and Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.

How

A cross-sectional survey was conducted using random sampling from US household population frames. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze factors associated with AI use and perceived helpfulness.

Limitations

Modest sample size, particularly for the 18-21 age group (n=147) · Potential nonresponse and survey response biases · Lack of data on specific AI tools used or types of advice sought · No measures of diagnosed mental illness included

Summarized by Gemma 4 from the open-access full text · 13 Oct 2026. Read it