Parents are often caught off guard by what their teens are doing in daily life — and when it comes to AI, the "perception gap" might be larger than they thought, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday.
The survey found a significant gap exists between parents' perceptions and their teens' actual use of AI chatbots. About 64% of U.S. teens reported using AI chatbots, while 51% of parents said their teens use them.
"Technology is not just a teen issue or a parent issue — it's a family issue," said Pew senior researcher Colleen McClain. She said researchers surveyed both teens and parents and heard different perspectives on managing AI usage.
Just over half (54%) of the teens surveyed said they've used AI chatbots for help with schoolwork, while about 1 in 10 said they've gotten emotional support from an AI chatbot.
Teens, often at the forefront as users of new technology, told researchers they see AI as a tool in their daily lives, and they were more positive than negative in their views of about how AI will impact them personally.
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Parents have a "lot to juggle," McClain said, and many are concerned about their children's use of AI chatbots — especially after several high-profile cases in which teens died by suicide after prolonged interactions with the new technology.
"It's complicated, it's nuanced, it's not a one-size-fits-all," McClain said.
She said the survey — the most in-depth yet on teens and AI — found many parents don't speak to their teens about their AI usage; just 4 in 10 parents said they do. Many don't make managing screen time their first priority amid other life demands, and some parents said they feel judged for doing so.
Dr. Amber W. Childs, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, told CBS News the question shouldn't be if teens are using AI but how they are using the technology.
She said most teens are using technology for mundane daily tasks but parents need to know if "they're using it in the absence of other sources of connection or coping skills and support." Around 12% said they've gotten emotional support through chatbots, and Childs said teens using the tech for sole emotional support is concerning.
Psychologist Joshua Goodman, an associate professor at Southern Oregon University, said teens who don't feel comfortable talking to parents or others about their sexuality or orientation might feel more comfortable speaking to AI about their sexual health. These teens are "not reaching out for support" from adults in their lives, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, Goodman said.
He said parents need to look for warning signs around teens constantly using AI and the technology replacing their critical thinking, or if they are showing signs of depression.
"You want to get curious," Childs said, "but you also want to be communicating to connect." She cautioned parents not to just pass down information and warnings to their teens, but to use the conversation to understand how AI is being used in their lives. Parents can set up boundaries and expectations around the usage of the technology that align with family expectations, she said.
She said most teens are probably using AI to improve their life skills, like learning new languages or doing schoolwork.
About a quarter of teens surveyed said chatbots have been extremely or very helpful for completing their schoolwork, while another 25% say they've been somewhat helpful. Most said they use the technology for research or help with math problems.
About 1 in 10 teens said they do all or most of their schoolwork with chatbots' help.
More than half of teens say they've used chatbots to search for information and almost half say they've done so for fun or entertainment.
Some, however, are wary about the way the technology will affect their lives. One teenage boy told Pew, "It's already being used to spread propaganda, there's no end to what it can do, it's hard to tell what's real or AI online anymore."
Pew surveyed 1,458 U.S. teens and their parents from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, 2025.
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