Can an App Actually Be Your Friend?

Open Snapchat right now and you will probably see My AI sitting at the top of your chat list, waiting for you to talk to it like it's just another contact. Character.AI works the same way, except you can pick exactly which personality you want to talk to. A huge number of people our age are not just using these tools for homework help anymore. They are using them for company.

Why So Many People Are Talking to AI

That is not a guess. A 2024 survey from Common Sense Media found that a majority of teens have tried generative AI, and a growing chunk of them come back specifically to talk, not to get an assignment done (Common Sense Media). Honestly, I get it. A chatbot never gets tired of you, never judges your weird 1 a.m. thoughts, and never leaves you on read. If you are having a rough week and none of your friends are online, an AI that responds instantly can feel like a real fix in the moment.

The Hidden Risk of AI Companionship

Here is where I disagree with basically every article that frames this as harmless. A Danish study tracking high school students found that the ones using chatbots specifically for social support, meaning venting and looking for comfort, reported higher loneliness than students who barely used chatbots at all (Herbener and Damholdt). That result should stop us. It suggests the kids most likely to lean on a chatbot for friendship are often the ones already isolated, and the chatbot is not pulling them out of that. If anything it might be giving them a reason to stop trying with actual people, because the app is easier and it is always available.

AI Can Support You, But It Cannot Replace People

I am not saying delete the apps. Talking through a problem with a chatbot before you bring it up with a real friend is fine, even useful sometimes. But an algorithm cannot actually miss you, remember your birthday because it wants to, or sit next to you at lunch when things are bad. If we start treating a language model as a replacement for the people in our lives instead of an occasional backup, we are going to end up lonelier, not less. The data on that is already starting to show it.

Works Cited

Common Sense Media. The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School. Common Sense Media, 2024.
www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2024-the-dawn-of-the-ai-era_final-release-for-web.pdf

Herbener, A. B., and M. F. Damholdt. "Are Lonely Youngsters Turning to Chatbots for Companionship? The Relationship Between Chatbot Usage and Social Connectedness in Danish High-School Students." International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, vol. 196, Feb. 2025, article 103409.