Americans are more likely to say AI chatbots hurt rather than help people who use them for support with loneliness, depression or stress, according to an Aug. 25 Pew Research Center report.
The center surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 to 28, 2026. Respondents were members of the Center’s American Trends Panel, a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults.
Here are three things to know:
1. Americans were most skeptical about chatbots for loneliness. Thirty-nine percent said chatbots do more to hurt people who use them for loneliness, compared with 19% who said they do more to help. For depression, 36% of respondents said chatbots do more to hurt and 17% said they do more to help. For stress, 29% said they do more to hurt and 22% said they do more to help.
2. Adults under 30 were particularly skeptical about using chatbots for loneliness and depression. Among this group, 49% said chatbots do more to hurt people who use them for loneliness and 41% said the same for depression. For both, 23% said chatbots do more to help.
3. Older adults showed greater uncertainty. Among adults 65 and older, four-in-10 or more said they were not sure whether chatbots do more to help or hurt people using them for loneliness, depression or stress.
At the Becker's Fall Behavioral Health Summit, taking place November 4–5 in Chicago, behavioral health leaders and executives will explore strategies for expanding access to care, integrating services, addressing workforce challenges and leveraging innovation to improve outcomes across the behavioral health continuum. Apply for complimentary registration now.
