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

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2507.15783v3
• Date: Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:09:38 GMT
• Title: Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives
• Authors: Mohammad Namvarpour, Brandon Brofsky, Jessica Medina, Mamtaj Akter, Afsaneh Razi,
• Abstract summary: We analyzed 318 Reddit posts made by users who self-disclosed as 13-17 years old on the Character.AI subreddit.<n>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.<n>Disengagement commonly arises when teens recognize harm, re-engage with offline life, or encounter restrictive platform changes.
• Score: 7.829454333137073
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Abstract: 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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