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Why turn to artificial intelligence and not a friend? For young people, this often comes down to not worrying about what their peers or parents think.
This is one conclusion of a new report from the San Francisco-based Hopelab and Harvard Graduate School of Educationwhich surveyed 30 people between the ages of 14 and 22 and explored their use of AI chatbots.
The researchers found that some teens and young adults turned to chatbots because they wanted to avoid burdening their friends with problems. They liked that the AI companions were available at all times and felt they were not judging them. Some may offer more specific advice than their friends.
One teenager, for example, was nervous about playing in a soccer match, said Emma Brühlmann-Senecal, Hopelab’s principal investigator. When he asked his father for advice, his father told him to just “focus on the game.” But when the boy asked the AI for the same advice, it offered breathing exercises and suggestions on how to be present.
Participants acknowledged that chatbots can be podlysurian and fianceebut some still believe that AI advice is more neutral compared to friends who may carry personal biases.
California passed a law in 2025 backed by the tech industry that requires AI developers to put some railings on their chatbotsincluding monitoring chats for signs of suicidal thoughts. That same year, Gov. Gavin Newsom also vetoed a tougher proposal that would have restricted minors’ access to chatbots.
Bruehlman-Senecal says policymakers who want to protect young people from AI need to collaborate with young people who often use the technology. Lawmakers should also strive to preserve the benefits that children find in chatbots — such as their ability to provide immediate and actionable advice — while minimizing the harms of AI.
And how would Bruelman-Senecal, who has a young child, feel about her child using an AI chatbot?
- Brühlmann-Senecal: “I would like to have open conversations with her about using chatbots as a tool, not a substitute, for mental and emotional health support.”
Focus on Inland Empire: Every Wednesday CalMatters Inland Empire Reporter Aidan McGloin examines the great stories from this part of California. Read his newsletter and register here to get it.
Other stories you should know
Kaiser union files complaint against AI
Speaking of AI, a health care workers’ union is accusing Kaiser Permanente of violating state law for allegedly using algorithms and AI to make care recommendations without physician supervisionwrites Ana B. Ibarra of CalMatters.
In a complaint against the health care provider, the National Union of Health Care Workers said Kaiser uses a digital screening tool that assesses patients it believes may be experiencing anxiety or depression. Patients answer a questionnaire and the tool “automatically and instantly generates recommendations for care” based on the answers, according to the complaint.
The union says the practice is illegal because state law requires medical decisions to come from licensed health care professionals and prohibits AI and algorithms from replacing that judgment.
A Kaiser spokesperson said the company does not use AI to “diagnose patients, make clinical decisions or determine medical necessity.”
The Division of Managed Health Care, which oversees health plans, said it was investigating the union’s complaint.
CA’s privatized public defense results in astronomical workloads
In 2025, one attorney in Kings County represented almost 600 indigent people charged with crimes.
That figure, which rivals some of the nation’s worst public defense cases, doesn’t even include the personal injury lawyer’s private clients.
New report on California’s privatized public defender systems highlights these high loads and ties them to the way many counties pay their defense attorneys: through flat-fee contracts.
- Josh Schwartzfrom The Wren Collective, a nonprofit organization that authored the report: “Fixed fees create a financial conflict of interest between attorney and client. A fee will always be less profitable the more time and attention is spent on each case.”
The report is based on a CalMatters investigation that uncovered problems with the system by looking at a firm known as The WalMart of Public Safety.
Finally: The doctor evaluates the ICE detention center
A court-appointed monitor evaluated a new immigration detention center in California City and found that the facility “lacks a reliable system to consistently provide adequate health care.” The inspection is related to an ongoing lawsuit against detainees who are suing over conditions at the center. Read more by Nigel Duara of CalMatters.
California voices
Two points of view on Proposition 40ballot measure to tax California billionaires:
The measure would make billionaires pay their fair share of taxeskeep hospitals open and help fund medical care for seniors, veterans and families, writes Erica Olivo Reynosolicensed practical nurse at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.
Prop. 40 risk reliable, recurring income for a temporary infusion of money, and after that money is spent, California may be left with a smaller tax base, writes Ahmad ThomasCEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Other things worth your time:
CA House Republicans are asking the Trump administration to block the new state tax // The Sacramento Bee (gift link)
Senator Schiff wants to take action of paid influencers and AI campaign ads // San Francisco Chronicle (gift link)
CA’s solution to the deadliest bridge: Steel Fence and AI // The Voice of San Diego (free)
Next stop on the California High Speed Rail: Finding Private Investors // Grist (free)
SF mayor backs national robotics rules after the Waymo debacle // A politician (free)
CA will add scientific results to your school’s accountability system // EdSource (free)
New visa rules created more uncertainty for international students // LAist (free)
UC doctors seek to unite 10,000 colleagues in a large-scale campaign // KQED (free)
