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Young Adults Most Often Use AI as a Stand-In Therapist
In A Nutshell
- Nearly half of AI users have chatted with AI as a friend or discussed their relationships with it, and 47% have used it much like a mental health professional.
- Adults who have ever used AI rose from 62% in 2025 to 70% in 2026.
- Stress is running above what Americans call normal, and 47% of adults say it has made them pull back from social activities.
- Survey results show patterns only, so whether AI is easing loneliness or deepening it remains unknown.
Nearly half of Americans who use artificial intelligence have chatted with it as a friend or talked through their relationships with it, and nearly as many have used it in a role similar to a mental health professional, according to a new nationwide survey from the American Psychological Association. The share of adults who have ever used AI climbed from 62% in 2025 to 70% in 2026.
That shift is landing in a country where stress has started to feel like a constant. Cost of living topped the list of stressors, with 77% of adults calling it a significant source. Another 72% agreed that “stress is just something I have to live with,” and a similar share said bad news no longer shocks them.
At the same time, many adults said they were pulling back from friends, hobbies, and community life because of stress. The survey cannot say whether the two trends are connected, but they are showing up side by side, which raises a question about where worn-out people are finding support.
Survey of 3,132 Adults Finds Stress Running Above Normal
Polling firm Harris Poll ran the online survey for the American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America report from July 29 to August 24, 2026. It reached 3,132 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, with extra Black, Latino, and Asian participants added so those groups could be studied more closely. Results were adjusted to match the U.S. population by age, gender, race, education, region, and income.
Participants rated how much stress should feel normal on a 10-point scale. The average answer was 4.4. Their own stress averaged 5.2, meaning the typical adult is running hotter than the level they consider normal.
More than a quarter of adults, 28%, said they have little to no control over their future, up from 23% in 2025. Meanwhile, 60% said stress had at least somewhat affected their sleep, and 59% said it had dimmed their optimism about the future.
AI Users Lean on Chatbots for Friendship, Advice, and Therapy-Style Help
Among AI users, 65% had turned to it for help with day-to-day decisions and 63% to sort out their thoughts. Personal uses were close behind: 49% had talked with AI as a friend, 49% had discussed their relationships with it, and 47% had used it much like a mental health professional, such as getting a second opinion on a therapist’s suggestion or practicing therapy exercises. One in 10 users said they rely on AI more than friends and family for advice.
For some, the habit is routine, with 22% regularly or often chatting with AI as a friend. Therapist-style use falls sharply with age: 26% of AI users ages 18 to 29 regularly or often use it as a stand-in for a mental health professional, compared with 20% of those 30 to 45, 8% of those 46 to 61, and 3% of those 62 to 80.
Sandwich caregivers, people caring for a family member or friend who needs long-term help while also raising children under 18, were among the heaviest users. Nearly half (48%) regularly or often use AI to organize their thoughts, and 34% regularly or often use it in the role of a mental health professional.
Adults Say Stress Is Pulling Them Away From Friends and Hobbies
Nearly half of adults, 47%, said stress, uncertainty, or feeling overwhelmed had made them pull back from at least one kind of social activity over the past year. That meant skipping gatherings (31%), dropping hobbies (27%), or stepping away from community activities (16%).
More than a third of adults, 37%, said they had pulled back from the wider world in some way, whether by avoiding the news (28%) or steering clear of political and social issues (21%). Many appear to still care, though. Half of adults (51%) said they were too emotionally worn out to stay involved with world events, yet 63% believed getting involved in their community or politics could make a meaningful difference.
Young adults appear to be carrying the heaviest load. Among adults ages 18 to 29, 71% felt too worn out to stay involved, and half said their relationships did not feel meaningful.
AI Users Report More Positive Than Negative Experiences
Users described more positive than negative experiences with AI for personal support, 51% versus 29%. About one in five said AI gave them support when they needed it (22%), and 18% said it validated their thoughts, feelings, or decisions. Drawbacks showed up too: 12% raised concerns about becoming dependent, 9% said it left them feeling more disconnected from others, and 8% reported problems from misguided advice.
Nearly half of AI users have now leaned on a chatbot the way they might a friend or therapist, and the survey cannot say whether that is easing loneliness or making it easier to skip the harder work of reaching out to people. Until research answers that, the figure shows how common the habit has become, not whether it helps.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical or mental health advice. It reports survey findings, which describe patterns and cannot prove cause and effect. Anyone struggling with stress or their mental health should speak with a licensed health professional.
Paper Notes
Limitations
This is an online survey, not a controlled experiment, so it describes patterns rather than proven cause and effect. It cannot show that stress led people to use AI, or that AI use led people to withdraw. Answers rely on self-reporting, which can be shaped by memory, mood, or how a question is worded. Participants were drawn from people who had already agreed to take part in Harris Poll surveys. The margin of error is about 2.5 percentage points for the full sample and wider for subgroups: 4.4 for Black adults, 5.0 for Latino/a/e adults, 4.6 for Asian adults, and 5.7 for adults ages 18 to 29. A group of 72 respondents who identified only as Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander fell below the researchers’ reporting threshold of 100 and was not reported separately.
Funding and Disclosures
Harris Poll conducted the survey on behalf of the American Psychological Association. The report does not list any additional funding sources, grants, or conflicts of interest.
Publication Details
Stress in America 2026: The Stress of Uncertainty was published in October 2026 by the American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. It is a report rather than a journal article, so no DOI is listed, and it is available at apa.org. Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is the association’s chief executive officer and executive vice president, and the Harris Poll research team included Research Director Rebecca Purser. Suggested citation, per the report: American Psychological Association (2026). Stress in America 2026: The stress of uncertainty.
