A new study by the Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL) and ELEM, a leading organization supporting youth at risk, examines how Israeli teenagers use generative AI chatbots not only for information and practical tasks, but also for emotional support, social interaction and companionship.
The study is based on a survey of 502 internet-using adolescents aged 13–17, conducted by Geocartography in November 2025. The survey examined how frequently teenagers use AI chatbots, what they use them for, how helpful they perceive these interactions to be, and why they sometimes prefer speaking with a chatbot rather than another person.
The findings reinforce ISOC-IL data released earlier this year reflecting the rapid adoption of AI platforms in the general adult population, with ChatGPT reaching an overall usage rate of 88% of the population and Google’s Gemini used by 73% of the population in 2026. In this survey, 96% of respondents reported using AI chatbots, 85% said they used them daily or weekly, and ChatGPT was by far the most widely used platform, used by 93% of respondents.
The study’s more distinctive contribution is its examination of the role these tools play in adolescents’ social and emotional lives. More than half of respondents (55%) reported using a chatbot as a friend, 49% had turned to one for emotional advice, and 18% had used one as a romantic partner. 52% said they had at some point preferred discussing emotional issues with a chatbot rather than with another person, with this tendency more common among girls than boys (59% versus 44%). These findings provide new insight into the extent to which adolescents are beginning to relate to AI chatbots as social and emotional agents, rather than solely as tools for information or practical assistance.
The findings highlight a growing need to think about AI literacy not only in terms of technical skills and the reliability of information, but also in relation to emotional and social use. Young people need tools to understand the difference between algorithmic responsiveness and human empathy, recognise the limitations of chatbot-based support, protect their privacy, and know when turning to another person or a professional is important.
The study also underscores the role of parents, educators and youth counselors in maintaining open, informed conversations with teenagers about the place AI is beginning to occupy in their personal and emotional lives.
The full report and findings will be published here when available.