Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly integrated into teenagers’ daily lives, helping with homework, general information, and personal questions. According to a recent report from the Austrian Safer Internet Centre on Austrian teenagers, 94% of 11- to 17-year-olds use these chatbots. While they offer accessible learning and support, their growing roles as advisors and friends raise issues related to misinformation, privacy, and emotional reliance. Are we doing enough to ensure that young people use AI safely and support the responsible development of this technology? This question will be part of the discussion during the European Parliament's STOA panel meeting tomorrow, 17 September 2026 at 09:30h CEST.

Young people, such as the ones surveyed in Austria, mainly view AI as an essential school resource, with 73% using AI tools for homework and assignments. However, these tools are more and more part of teenagers’ daily lives beyond school. Over half (55%) utilise AI to get information and advice on topics such as leisure, hobbies, health, or relationships. As AI systems become more conversational and human-like, the distinction between a digital tool and a digital companion becomes progressively blurred.

Stefan Ebenberger, Secretary General of ISPA Internet Service Provider Austria: “What surprised us most was the nuanced perspective of young people on AI. They recognise the importance of responsible AI use but also rely heavily on chatbots for accurate answers. At the same time, 59% are concerned that AI may lead to not knowing how to think independently. The study reveals a surprisingly mature perspective of young people and adolescents; they are not rejecting AI but are instead asking for better guidance and support.” - Read the full interview with Stefan Ebenberger

Overall, the Austrian study conducted by the Institute for Youth Culture Research and Cultural Education on behalf of the Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (ÖIAT) and ISPA – Internet Service Providers Austria as part of the EU initiative Saferinternet.at shows that young people tend to view artificial intelligence positively or neutrally, both for society and for themselves. 55% see AI mainly as an opportunity for personal growth, while 57% trust chatbots to provide good advice regularly. 

“Young people recognise that AI chatbots provide helpful answers to specific questions, offer clear, age-appropriate explanations, help individualise learning support, save time, and are constantly available. These are opportunities, of course, and I don't think they differ between young people and grown-ups,” adds Ebenberger.

However, while AI can offer many opportunities, according to Dr Laura Vandenbosch, Director of the Media Psychology Lab (Associate Professor) at KU Leuven, overreliance on AI tools also poses risks that, in the long run, might affect adolescents' growth in socio-cultural skills.

Dr Laura Vandenbosch: "You can use AI in a task-supportive way in which it also supports your learning skills. Yet in some ways, it may reduce your motivation to learn in the future. Additionally, AI can provide helpful advice in complex social situations, but it often offers one-sided guidance. This can likely boost your self-esteem temporarily, yet over time, it might hinder your ability to build meaningful relationships with other humans, especially since people at that age are still developing many social skills." - Read the full interview with Laura Vandenbosch

Are adolescents more vulnerable to AI?

Teenagers’ experience of talking to AI tools hasn’t been entirely positive. Nearly 20% of respondents in the Austrian study have experienced discomfort with AI responses, such as advice on social interactions that feels manipulative or responses that reinforce negative emotions rather than reduce them.

"It becomes a concern when AI is no longer used as an occasional support but is used to replace human relationships and interactions. It should not serve as a substitute for personal contact, and if it does, especially among teenagers, it becomes problematic. This is particularly concerning if teens begin sharing private or sensitive information heavily, which worsens the issue," specifies Ebenberger.

Dr Vandenbosch notes that conversations with AI can be excessively positive and provide instant gratification, but they might only temporarily ease discomfort without tackling the root issue. The same concern applies when young people seek relationship advice from AI, and chatbot replies often tend to be “very biased towards comforting you,” which can reinforce a user’s perspective in an argument instead of challenging it. This issue is especially problematic when an individual's personality and social skills are still being shaped. 

“Nowadays, adolescents are growing up in a generation where AI is new to everyone. If you use social media today, your parents have already used it before. As a teen today, you're more familiar with social media than a teen was 10 years ago. The same applies to AI; it's new to all of us. Therefore, there are many aspects of AI that none of us probably fully understand,” says Dr Vandenbosch.

Is the EU doing enough to regulate AI and protect younger users?

Most Europeans consider safeguarding children and youth online to be very important, with 92% saying that enhancing online safety measures for younger people should be a priority for the EU.

According to Dr Vandenbosch, "Europe is moving in the right direction to make the internet safer.” In fact, the EU already has regulations in place that aim to protect and empower children and young people online, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires platforms to uphold strong privacy, safety, and security standards for minors, and the AI Act, which aims to prevent manipulation or deception of vulnerable groups, including children.

Some AI companies are also introducing measures for minors. OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT for Teens, aiming to provide users aged 13–17 with a safer, age-appropriate AI experience. This version includes enhanced safety measures, parental controls, break reminders, and safeguards for sensitive content, and is designed to better incorporate educational features that help teens understand concepts and solve problems independently, rather than simply giving the solution directly.

Nevertheless, the problem also concerns what happens to the information you share on those platforms. As Ebenberger points out, “Data protection is not a major issue for adolescents. As shown by our study, their awareness and concerns about how their data is used, especially when posted in an AI chatbot system, are insufficient and clearly need to be addressed. Children must be educated that everything they post online, particularly in AI chats, isn’t truly private, and they should refrain from sharing any sensitive personal information.”

Dr Vandenbosch argues that AI tools should undergo a pre-assessment before they become widely available to minors. “I believe it would be beneficial to have a regulation that requires an independent committee to review a product before it is approved for release to teenagers, rather than relying solely on companies' self-assessment, which is often profit-driven rather than child-centric. With the rapid rate of innovation, parents cannot keep up with verifying whether each new trend is child-appropriate,” she adds. 

Additionally, “youth protection shouldn't rely only on bans; effective regulation must be combined with educating minors to become critical users," explains Ebenberger. “We should integrate digital usage awareness, media literacy, and AI usage into our school system and timetables,” he adds. For him, the foundation must be educating teachers first, as they need to be prepared and guided. Often, schools and teachers are assigned many new responsibilities and tasks, but without proper training and support, they may struggle to manage them.

Beyond schools, Dr Vandenbosch recommends that families regularly discuss the use of AI tools. “For parents, it’s very important to talk openly with children about these tools and make it a daily routine, rather than a once-a-year conversation, since children likely spend over an hour a day on technology. This discussion is a way to show interest in their everyday experiences,” she comments.

In the end, as Ebenberger says, it is a matter for all of us “to be educated on how to properly use AI”, as it is something that affects all of us across generations and will continue to do so in the years to come.

Useful link:

• Watch the European Parliament’s STOA panel meeting on this topic, recorded or live on 17 September 2026 at 09:30h CEST

Related content:

• A scientist's opinion: interview with Stefan Ebenberger on AI and young people
• A scientist's opinion: interview with Dr Laura Vandenbosch on AI and young people