To many young souls, AI chatbots aren’t just tools or glorified search engines — they’re companions.

A new survey found that nearly one in five high schoolers in the US — 19 percent — say that they or a friend have used AI to have a romantic relationship, an alarming figure that will surely raise new concerns over how the tech’s adoption among kids and teenagers may be impacting their mental health.

The findings were published in a new report from the Center for Democracy and Technology, which surveyed 1,000 high school students, 1,000 parents, and around 800 sixth through 12th grade public school teachers. They echo a bevy of other studies showing how many teens are forming intense relationships with AIs.

Overall, the survey paints a startling picture of how AI tech has taken over scho

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