# AI Therapy: Are Teens Chatting with Robots Instead of Friends?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-james-brown-commentary-6398178/ai-therapy-are-teens-chatting-with-robots-instead-of-friends
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-james-brown-commentary-6398178/ai-therapy-are-teens-chatting-with-robots-instead-of-friends.md
Podcast: [The James Brown Commentary](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-james-brown-commentary-6398178)
Published: 2026-07-08T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://jbcommentary.captivate.fm/episode/ai-therapy-are-teens-chatting-with-robots-instead-of-friends
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/7f45c93b-a483-440d-ab50-ed09508b2f5b.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-james-brown-commentary-6398178/episodes/ai-therapy-are-teens-chatting-with-robots-instead-of-friends
Duration seconds: 60

## Resource

One in five American teens and young adults are turning to AI chatbots when they're feeling down, anxious, or stressed, and honestly, that’s a head-scratcher! I mean, can you believe it? Instead of reaching out to friends or family, they’re chatting with bots. It's like, “Hey, can you pass the emotional support, or is that just a software update away?” We dive into the whirlwind of feelings and the loneliness that seems to be creeping into adulthood, especially for the younger crowd. It’s a mixed bag of emotions—should we laugh, cry, or just shake our heads in disbelief? We’re all in this together, so let’s chat about what’s happening to the good old human connection and how we can make sense of it all! A recent study from the Rand Corporation revealed a surprising trend: one in five American teens and young adults are turning to AI chatbots when they’re feeling sad, anxious, or stressed. Now, let’s just pause for a second and think about that. It’s a little mind-boggling, right? I mean, we’re living in a world where a digital buddy is stepping in for our friends and family during tough times. On one hand, it’s great that technology can provide some comfort, but on the other, it raises a big ol’ red flag about the state of human connection today. Are we really that lonely? I can’t help but have a mix of emotions about this—sometimes I want to laugh, sometimes I want to cry, and sometimes I just want to hide under my blanket and binge-watch cat videos! But seriously, this trend opens up a whole can of worms about how we view relationships and support systems. During our chat, I touched on a concern that hit home for me: where are all our friends and family when we need them? It seems like the younger generation is leaning on these bots instead of having a shoulder to cr…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-james-brown-commentary-6398178/episodes/ai-therapy-are-teens-chatting-with-robots-instead-of-friends/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-james-brown-commentary-6398178/ai-therapy-are-teens-chatting-with-robots-instead-of-friends.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.