Pro:
By Amrit Aujla
Picture this: it’s 11 p.m., you’ve spent hours at school, went to a two-hour practice and now that you’re home, you still have to do your homework. Your mind is spiraling, each second becoming more stressful. Your instinct is to call someone for comfort, for reassurance, but no one is awake, and no therapist’s office is open at this hour. In a matter of seconds, you can turn your phone on and have a conversation with Artificial Intelligence (AI) trained in therapy to calm your nerves and find a solution.
AI has become increasingly prevalent in today’s society, and neglecting to utilize its tools and benefits would be a mistake. If used correctly, integrating AI into therapy can be a very beneficial tool because it increases access to therapy, provides around-the-clock support and can help identify mental health issues early.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in six youth aged 6-17 experiences a mental health disorder each year, but only 50.6 percent of that group receives treatment. This is partly because, according to KQED, about 55 percent of U.S. counties have no practicing psychologists, psychiatrists or social workers. This translates to approximately one mental health clinician for every 340 people in the United States (National Public Radio). This isn’t nearly enough for the number of people who need care.
It is also important to consider the price factor that goes into getting in-person therapy. According to Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), an hour-long therapy session costs anywhere from $100 to $200 on average, which is something many can’t afford and is not sustainable. On the other hand, for those with devices, AI is available anytime they need it and at no cost. Especially for teens with busy schedules, having access to an AI chatbot whenever it suits them is highly beneficial.
According to a September Bark survey, 48 percent of students admitted to using AI as a therapy tool. This proves the value of AI therapy, and as it continues to develop, it has great potential to become an even more effective tool.
While AI has room for improvement, the developments that have already been made are impressive. A recent study done by the New England Journal of Medicine-AI in 2025 showed that chatting with Therabot, their AI therapist, for eight weeks severely reduced psychological symptoms among users with depression or anxiety. Additionally, an AI model created by Duke Health this year was 84 percent accurate in identifying patients who went on to have escalating mental health issues within the next year. AI’s ability to identify mental health issues early in their path shows a significant advancement in the mental health world.
According to the National Institutes of Health, AI also has high potential for identifying patients at risk of suicide. In the near future, if AI is able to implement technology that can report warning signs to healthcare providers or families of teens, it could drastically improve the effectiveness of its abilities.
The number of teenagers who report experiencing mental health issues continues to rise. In 2023, 40 percent of teens said they experienced feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). As this number grows, the responsible use of AI offers more than just support. It plays a critical role in preventing mental health issues from escalating, expands access to care and can change the trajectory of teen mental health for the better.
Anti:
By Sofia Yanni
When the clock strikes midnight and the weight of countless deadlines begins to close in, many students find themselves reaching not for a friend or a therapist, but for an AI chatbot. Is this digital comfort really what we need-or just a clever illusion of support? While chatbots are available 24/7, they lack real empathy and judgment, which are critical for teens’ development. They can misread crises, give unsafe advice, or fail to notice warning signs, which are risks no teen should take.
According to a September Bark survey, 21 percent of students reported frequently using an AI tool such as ChatGPT to talk about their mental health or emotional well-being. Another 27 percent said they sometimes use AI therapeutically. Nearly half of students are turning to AI at least occasionally for support, a trend that might seem harmless on the surface, but actually highlights danger. Teens are entrusting chatbots with their deepest struggles, even though these tools cannot truly understand, empathize, or intervene when someone is in crisis.
This growing reliance on AI for emotional support isn’t isolated to just a few students. In fact, it’s part of a broader trend. A recent survey by Common Sense Media found that 72 percent of American teenagers have used A.I. chatbots as companions, and nearly one-eighth have turned to them for emotional or mental health support.
But what happens when teens actually follow the advice these chatbots give? According to the New York Times article “Teens are using chatbots as therapists. That’s alarming”, when teens have asked chatbots about self-harm, some have responded with troubling advice, including instructions on how to hurt themselves “safely,” what to include in a suicide note, or ways to disguise intoxication at school. This article was published fairly recently, in August.
AI chatbots may seem convenient, but they are unsafe and unreliable as a substitute for real therapy. This can be seen through the tragic case of Sophie Rottenberg, a 29-year-old young woman who lived in Florida. Rottenberg died by suicide after turning to ChatGPT instead of a human therapist, showing the potential danger and prompting widespread concern about the safety and ethics of using AI as a therapist. Rottenberg’s mom, Laura Reiley, revealed that her daughter sought help from ChatGPT, which gave responses that sounded empathetic but failed to detect the seriousness of her situation. This heartbreaking story demonstrates how AI can mimic care without actually providing it, leaving vulnerable teens more at risk.
A 2025 Stanford study found that AI therapy chatbots can also show bias toward conditions like schizophrenia or alcohol dependence and may fail to respond safely in crisis. This failure can take many forms, from offering overly generic advice to minimizing the severity of a user’s distress, or even missing clear warning signs of suicidal ideation. In some cases, these bots have provided responses that sound supportive on the surface, but since they aren’t real people, these tools physically can’t do anything when a situation turns serious, which is a major safety concern.
AI is also risky because it gives a false sense of security. By relying on chatbots, students might avoid reaching out to parents, friends, or trained therapists who could actually provide meaningful support. AI doesn’t just fail to solve the problem, but it can actually make things worse by delaying real treatment.
For high school students, school is already stressful, and while an AI chatbot might feel like an easy solution, it can’t replace the guidance, understanding, and accountability of a real human therapist. Teens deserve more than quick, automated responses given by a robot. AI may have a place in our lives, but when it comes to mental health, it should never replace human care.
