IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v15y2026i7p491-d1996858.html

Artificial Intimacy: Companion Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Risks to Adolescent Mental Health

Author

Listed:
  • Lisa Pescara Kovach

    (College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA)

Abstract

Adolescence is marked by a heightened need for belonging, peer acceptance, and emotional validation, with disruptions linked to loneliness and psychological distress. This perspective integrates belongingness theory with emerging research on companion artificial intelligence (AI), reconceptualizing these systems as relational substitutes that simulate, but do not provide, genuine interpersonal connection. Designed to offer continuous, emotionally responsive interactions, companion AI may be particularly appealing to socially isolated youth. However, these features can foster perceived intimacy, emotional dependence, and misinterpretations of programmed responses as authentic care. Drawing on developmental research and recent case evidence, this manuscript examines how AI-mediated interactions may reinforce social withdrawal, shape expectations of relationships, and contribute to mental health risk. These findings stress the importance of understanding the developmental implications of artificial forms of connection during adolescence and describe potential policies to mitigate the likelihood of negative outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa Pescara Kovach, 2026. "Artificial Intimacy: Companion Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Risks to Adolescent Mental Health," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-10, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:15:y:2026:i:7:p:491-:d:1996858
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/7/491/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/7/491/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:15:y:2026:i:7:p:491-:d:1996858. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.