Ontario Youth Turning to AI for Mental Health Support

A study conducted by University of Ottawa researchers involving nearly 40,000 students in Grades 4 through 12 in Ontario found that approximately one in five youth have used AI chatbots for mental health advice or emotional support. According to reporting from CBC Toronto, students who utilized AI for these purposes were twice as likely to experience clinical emotional problems compared to those who did not.

CBC Toronto reports that usage patterns varied by demographic: 34.2% of gender-diverse students and 27.2% of girls used AI for emotional advice, compared to 14.2% of boys. Additionally, 24.3% of racialized youth used the technology, compared to 18.4% of white students. The study also noted that 43.2% of students used AI for schoolwork, suggesting a normalization of the technology.

Experts warn that while chatbots may fill a gap, they lack human empathy and professional vetting. Tracy Vaillancourt, the Canada Research Chair in Youth Mental Health and Violence Prevention and study author, stated that AI does not possess the training or emotional understanding of a clinician, parent, or teacher. Dr. Peter Selby, a professor at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), described the current state of the technology as the "Wild West," noting a lack of proper regulation regarding safety and deployment for young people.

Further, Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician and researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, cautioned that AI mimics empathy without providing the real-life conflict resolution and social negotiation necessary for adolescent development. He noted that because teens are still developing their identity and judgment, these authoritative-sounding tools can have an "outsized influence."