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Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives
Conference proceeding   Open access

Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives

Mohammad (Matt) Namvarpour, Brandon Brofsky, Jessica Y Medina, Mamtaj Akter and Afsaneh Razi
Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp 1-19
13 Apr 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790597
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https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790597View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open Access via Drexel Libraries Read and Publish Program 2026 Open CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Applied computing -- Consumer health Human-centered computing -- Empirical studies in HCI Human-centered computing -- Human computer interaction (HCI) Human-centered computing -- Social media Social and professional topics -- Adolescents Social and professional topics -- Children
AI companion chatbots are increasingly popular with teens. While these interactions are entertaining, they also risk overuse that can potentially disrupt offline daily life. We examined how adolescents describe reliance on AI companions, mapping their experiences onto behavioral addiction frameworks and exploring pathways to disengagement, by analyzing 318 Reddit posts made by users who self-disclosed as 13-17 years old on the Character.AI subreddit. We found teens often begin using chatbots for support or creative play, but these activities can deepen into strong attachments marked by conflict, withdrawal, tolerance, relapse, and mood regulation. Reported consequences include sleep loss, academic decline, and strained real-world connections. Disengagement commonly arises when teens recognize harm, re-engage with offline life, or encounter restrictive platform changes. We highlight specific risks of character-based companion chatbots based on teens’ perspectives and introduce a design framework (CARE) for guidance for safer systems and setting directions for future teen-centered research.

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