The Effectiveness of AI Chatbots in Alleviating Mental Distress and Promoting Health Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis highlights the potential of AI chatbots to address mental health challenges and promote health behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Retrieval-based dialog systems demonstrated consistent and reliable effects, while generative systems showed promise, but their overall effectiveness was inconclusive. Future research should prioritize developing safety protocols and evaluation frameworks for generative systems and validating their long-term impacts on mental health and behavior change in adolescents and young adults.