The Rise of AI Companions and What it Means for Youth Mental Health

• By: Karen Manotas, MD University of Utah
• April 30th, 2026
• adolescent development, AI chatbots, AI companions, child psychiatry, digital mental health, emotional support technology, screen time, youth mental health
• 518    0

More and more young people are turning to AI for something we didn’t really anticipate a few years ago. Not just homework help. Not just curiosity. They’re using it to talk through problems, to vent, to ask questions they’re not ready or embarrassed to ask someone else. In some cases,...

The Mental Health Crisis Among Kids Is Growing—Can Tech Help?

• By: Scott Healy Psych Hub
• April 16th, 2025
• AI, children, digital mental health, mental health, mental health access, mental health technology, online counseling, privacy, resilience, resources, school, Spring 2025 Issue, technology, teletherapy
• 3340    0

I’ve always been a believer that big challenges can be solved with creative ideas that leverage the best that people and technology have to offer, and this time, I can’t think of a more critical challenge to address than safeguarding the mental health of our children. Our world is evolving at...