SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A new study by U.S. nonprofit Common Sense Media has found that 72 percent of U.S. teens have tried an AI companion, according to a report by TechCrunch on Monday.

The study focused on AI chatbots that are designed for users to have more personal conversations with.

The study found that chatting with an AI is appealing to U.S. teens aged from 13 to 17, as 52 percent said they are regular users.

The findings are based on a study that ran during April and May 2025, used a representative sample of 1,060 teens and was conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago.

A total of 46 percent said they see AI companions as tools or programs, and 33 percent said they use them for social interaction and relationships, while half of teens said they do not trust the information provided by AI companions.

One-third of the teens said they found the conversations more satisfying than with real-life friends, though the rest felt the opposite. While 80 percent of teens said they spend more time with real friends than with their AI chatbots. ■