Children and Screens Announces Nearly $150,000 Research Grant to Study AI Companions and Adolescent Well-Being

“Children and Screens is excited to support this novel research on an emerging issue of immediate concern to families, educators, policymakers, and, most importantly, to the youth who use these AI companions,” said Kris Perry, Executive Director of Children and Screens. “We expect the findings of this study will shape recommendations on public health, policy, and related technologies,” said Perry.

The grant, awarded through the Institute’s 2025 Digital Media and Developing Minds Interdisciplinary Research Grant, will support a study led by Dr. Xiaoran Sun (University of Minnesota), Dr. Ying Xu (Harvard University), and Dr. Thomas Robinson (Stanford University). The study, “Adolescent AI Companion Use: Bidirectional Links with Social Relationships and Mental Health,” will track 100 adolescents (ages 13-17) over 21 days to examine how AI companion use relates to adolescent relationships and mental health. 

“Adolescence is a critical period for social and emotional development, and AI companions are becoming part of many teens’ daily lives faster than research can keep pace,” said Dr. Xiaoran Sun. “We are excited for this mixed-method, multimodal study to generate timely evidence on how adolescents are using AI companions and what different use patterns mean for young people’s relationships and mental health.”

The 2025 Digital Media and Developing Minds Congress Interdisciplinary Research Grant is a one-time award which sought to support interdisciplinary scientific research to advance our understanding of critical issues discussed at the 2025 Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress. The award is part of the Institute’s Interdisciplinary Research Grants Program,  designed to accelerate research on emerging digital media issues where evidence is urgently needed to inform families, educators, clinicians, industry, and policymakers. For more information, e-mail grants@childrenandscreens.org.

Children and Screens: Institute for Digital Media and Child Development is an independent 501(c)3 organization working to help children lead healthy lives in a digital world. The Institute is committed to evidence-based, interdisciplinary, nonpartisan efforts, free from technology industry funding.