According to TechSpot, a new Pew Research Center poll of 1,458 US teens aged 13 to 17 shows a huge surge in AI chatbot use. The key finding is that 28% of teens use a chatbot daily, with 12% using it several times a day and 4% almost constantly. Overall, 64% of teens have tried a chatbot at least once. Among specific services, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the runaway favorite at 59%, far ahead of Google’s Gemini (23%) and Meta AI (20%). The data also shows a stark decline in traditional social platforms among this age group, with Facebook at 31% and the platform formerly known as Twitter nearly dead at just 16%.
The Chatbot Generation Is Here
Look, these numbers aren’t just interesting—they’re foundational. We’re watching a new primary interface being born. For a huge chunk of teens, the first stop for a question isn’t a Google search or a social media post. It’s a conversation with an AI. That 4% who are “almost constantly” engaged is the canary in the coal mine. What does “almost constantly” even look like? Is it a companion, a tutor, a creative partner, or a crutch? The fact that two-thirds have at least dabbled means this isn’t a niche curiosity anymore. It’s mainstream teen behavior.
Why ChatGPT Is Winning
Here’s the thing: ChatGPT’s 59% dominance is staggering. It basically has a bigger market share among teens than Instagram does. That’s a brand power that OpenAI’s competitors can only dream of right now. Google’s Gemini is a distant second, and Microsoft’s Copilot is practically an afterthought at 14%. So much for Microsoft’s big “agent” push, right? It seems like being first to market with a compelling, widely accessible product created a verb. You don’t “Gemini” something. You “ChatGPT” it. That’s a moat that’s incredibly hard to cross, especially with a demographic that’s notoriously fickle.
The Social Media Shakeout
And while AI is rising, the old guard is crumbling. The social media hierarchy is completely inverted for teens compared to the general population. YouTube is the undisputed king at 92%, which makes sense. But Facebook is for grandparents, and X/Twitter is basically a ghost town for this age group. They’ve moved on. The action is on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat for socializing. But even those platforms are now competing with a new category: the AI chatbot as a destination. That’s a profound shift. We’re not just swapping one app for another; we’re swapping broadcast-style platforms for private, on-demand intelligence.
The Unanswered Questions
But let’s pump the brakes for a second. This is all happening at lightning speed, and the long-term effects are a giant question mark. Pew’s data is a snapshot of *use*, not *impact*. What are these daily conversations doing to developing brains, social skills, and critical thinking? OpenAI is already facing a lawsuit alleging it encouraged harmful behavior among teens. That’s probably just the start. When a tool is this willing to “respond to any request,” as the source notes, the potential for misuse or dependency is real. So yeah, the adoption curve is vertical. But is that a good thing? We’re running a massive, real-time experiment, and teens are the test subjects. I think we need to be watching this a lot more closely than we are.
