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Three high school students took the stage at the 2025 Behavioral Health Tech Conference to share how artificial intelligence shows up in their lives. Their reflections were practical and thoughtful, offering a perspective that is often missing from adult-led conversations about AI. They spoke about how AI fits into their daily routines and what that means for mental health.
AI tools are showing up in schools, therapy platforms, crisis resources, and social spaces. Decisions about how these tools are designed and deployed are being made quickly, often without young people in the room. The students on this panel made a compelling case for why that approach falls short.
One student described how peers use AI to navigate social situations. Friends paste in text messages and ask for help deciding how to respond. Others use it to rehearse conversations or get quick guidance when they feel unsure.
This detail matters. AI is not entering teens’ lives primarily as a mental health intervention. It is becoming a social buffer. A way to reduce anxiety in the moment and avoid the risk of saying the wrong thing.
For providers, this raises a developmental question. If a tool consistently smooths over uncertainty, what opportunities for learning and growth are being bypassed? Adolescence is shaped by practice, repair, and feedback from real people. When AI mediates those experiences, something subtle but important can be lost.
The students were thoughtful about AI’s benefits. Immediate access can be genuinely helpful. Low-stakes support can feel safer than talking to an adult or peer. In moments of stress, that accessibility matters.
At the same time, they voiced concern about over-reliance. One student noted that constant use of AI can chip away at social skills and reduce the motivation to seek connection. Another reflected on how much learning comes from working through challenges with other people, including disagreement and misunderstanding.
Their point was not that AI is harmful by default. It was that growth often requires friction. When technology removes too much of that friction, it can unintentionally narrow the range of experiences that help young people build confidence and resilience.
Across the conversation, one theme remained steady. Human connection is not optional in mental health. It is central.
The students spoke about empathy and the feeling of being truly understood. They emphasized that real interaction teaches skills no tool can replicate. Listening. Perspective-taking. Repairing relationships when things go wrong.
For a field under pressure to scale services and expand access, this is a critical reminder. Technology can support care and extend reach, but it cannot replace the relational work that helps young people grow.
When asked how AI should be developed for youth mental health, the students offered concrete recommendations:
These suggestions align with what ethical innovation requires. Young people are not just users. They are contributors whose insight improves outcomes and trust.
Behavioral Health Tech Impact (BHT Impact) is a new national platform designed to accelerate youth behavioral health innovation and support youth and families to become designers, builders, and future leaders. BHT Impact is a fiscally sponsored project of Moore Impact, a 501(c)3 public charity, and funded by Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates.
BHT Impact invited these students to the conference to offer our community direction, and the takeaway is clear. As AI becomes more embedded in care and daily life, listening to young people is not a courtesy. It is a responsibility.
If the field wants technology to support genuine growth, youth voices must help guide the path forward.
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