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Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives

Mohammad Namvarpour, Brandon Brofsky, Jessica Medina, Mamtaj Akter, Afsaneh Razi

TL;DR

This study investigates how teenagers describe overreliance on AI companion chatbots by analyzing 318 self disclosed teen posts from the Character.AI subreddit, mapping experiences onto Griffiths six component behavioral addiction framework and examining disengagement pathways. It combines inductive thematic analysis with a deductive mapping and introduces the CARE design framework to guide safer teen centered AI systems. Findings show that teens seek emotional support and creative engagement, develop intense attachments and experience withdrawal and relapse, and disengage when realizing harm or due to platform changes. The work highlights unique teen emotional dynamics in AI bonds and offers design guidance with practical implications for future cross platform research.

Abstract

AI companion chatbots are increasingly popular with teens, while these interactions are entertaining, they also risk overuse that can potentially disrupt offline daily life. We examined how adolescents describe reliance on AI companions, mapping their experiences onto behavioral addiction frameworks and exploring pathways to disengagement, by analyzing 318 Reddit posts made by users who self-disclosed as 13-17 years old on the Character.AI subreddit. We found teens often begin using chatbots for support or creative play, but these activities can deepen into strong attachments marked by conflict, withdrawal, tolerance, relapse, and mood regulation. Reported consequences include sleep loss, academic decline, and strained real-world connections. Disengagement commonly arises when teens recognize harm, re-engage with offline life, or encounter restrictive platform changes. We highlight specific risks of character-based companion chatbots based on teens' perspectives and introduce a design framework (CARE) for guidance for safer systems and setting directions for future teen-centered research.

Understanding Teen Overreliance on AI Companion Chatbots Through Self-Reported Reddit Narratives

TL;DR

This study investigates how teenagers describe overreliance on AI companion chatbots by analyzing 318 self disclosed teen posts from the Character.AI subreddit, mapping experiences onto Griffiths six component behavioral addiction framework and examining disengagement pathways. It combines inductive thematic analysis with a deductive mapping and introduces the CARE design framework to guide safer teen centered AI systems. Findings show that teens seek emotional support and creative engagement, develop intense attachments and experience withdrawal and relapse, and disengage when realizing harm or due to platform changes. The work highlights unique teen emotional dynamics in AI bonds and offers design guidance with practical implications for future cross platform research.

Abstract

AI companion chatbots are increasingly popular with teens, while these interactions are entertaining, they also risk overuse that can potentially disrupt offline daily life. We examined how adolescents describe reliance on AI companions, mapping their experiences onto behavioral addiction frameworks and exploring pathways to disengagement, by analyzing 318 Reddit posts made by users who self-disclosed as 13-17 years old on the Character.AI subreddit. We found teens often begin using chatbots for support or creative play, but these activities can deepen into strong attachments marked by conflict, withdrawal, tolerance, relapse, and mood regulation. Reported consequences include sleep loss, academic decline, and strained real-world connections. Disengagement commonly arises when teens recognize harm, re-engage with offline life, or encounter restrictive platform changes. We highlight specific risks of character-based companion chatbots based on teens' perspectives and introduce a design framework (CARE) for guidance for safer systems and setting directions for future teen-centered research.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 29 sections, 1 figure, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Behavioral Addiction and Chatbot Use
  4. Parasocial Relationships and Design Perspectives
  5. Methods
  6. Data Collection, Preprocessing, and Filtering
  7. Data Analysis Approaches
  8. Results
  9. Reasons for engaging with Character.AI (RQ1)
  10. Emotional & Psychological Support
  11. Creative or Entertainment Based Engagement
  12. Behavioral Addiction Components (RQ2)
  13. Conflict
  14. Salience
  15. Withdrawal
  16. ...and 14 more sections

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: The CARE Framework for chatbot design: Comprehensive Needs, Attachment-awareness, Respectful Empathy, and Ease of Exit.