Adolescent Use of Generative AI For Emotional Support and Companionship: A Scoping Review

This scoping review will characterize adolescents’ (ages 10–21) self-initiated use of general-purpose chatbots (GPCs), such as ChatGPT and Claude, for emotional support, well-being, companionship, and related purposes. The review will examine the reasons and contexts for GPC use, reported benefits and harms, and characteristics of adolescents who engage in these forms of use. The review will be informed by Parasocial Relationship Theory and Self-Determination Theory, which provide complementary frameworks for understanding adolescents’ relationships with and motivations for using GPCs. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, searches will be conducted across four databases, followed by title/abstract screening, full-text screening, and backward citation searching. Eligible studies will include empirical qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research examining self-initiated GPC use among participants aged 10–21 years or samples with a mean age ≤21 years. Findings will be synthesized descriptively to characterize the current evidence base, identify patterns in adolescent GPC use and associated outcomes, and highlight gaps for future research.