Do AI companions understand? Most UK teens say yes
The Emotional AI Lab has published Do AI Companions Understand? Most UK Teens Say Yes, by Andy McStay and Vian Bakir. Funded by Responsible AI UK, the report draws on a nationally representative survey of 1,009 UK teenagers aged 13 to 18 who use AI companions.
Most teen companion use happens on mainstream AI rather than dedicated companion apps. ChatGPT was used by 78% of respondents, ahead of Google Gemini (32%), Copilot (22%) and Character.ai (17%). Almost a third (31%) interact with AI companions on most days. Seeking advice is the top reason for use, alongside entertainment, curiosity, constant availability and not being judged.
As the title says, most teen users (56%) believe AI companions can think, though most (77%) say they cannot feel. Among 13–15-year-olds, though, 21% believe AI companions can feel. Over half (52%) have confided in an AI companion about something serious, and 53% trust the advice they get. Almost a third (32%) find conversations with AI more satisfying than with friends, while 7% say AI is replacing some of their human friendships.
The report cautions against moral panic. For most teens, AI companions are not displacing friendships or causing evident harm. But a small percentage of a large user base is still a lot of young people. The authors argue that the central issue is emulated empathy, meaning systems that appear to understand and care. They set out nine policy recommendations, including:
governing companion-like uses across general-purpose AI, not just dedicated apps
treating emulated empathy as a specific risk in children’s risk assessments
attending to AI’s growing role as an advice-giver
involving teenagers in governance
strengthening AI literacy
Citation: McStay, A. & Bakir, V. (2026). Do AI Companions Understand? Most UK Teens Say Yes. Emotional AI Lab.