Generative AI has rapidly become part of young people’s lives, but less is known about how adolescents in different cultural contexts are actually using these tools. This Pulse Survey examines how teens in the United States, Brazil, and France engage with AI chatbots for learning, creativity, advice, and social connection. The Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital surveyed nearly 2,850 teens aged 13–17 in late 2025, building on our 2024 research on US teens and AI to understand how use patterns, perceptions, and concerns vary by country, gender, and frequency of use.
Our findings reveal that while learning and research remain the dominant use cases across all three countries, a meaningful share of young people—particularly in Brazil—are also turning to AI for creative work, personal advice, and social connection. Adoption and attitudes differ considerably: Brazilian teens are the most frequent and optimistic users; French teens are more recent adopters and the most skeptical; American teens fall between the two and express the most concern about AI’s societal impacts. Gender and frequency of use may also shape engagement, with US boys using AI more broadly than girls for independent learning and creativity, and daily users across all three countries reporting more personal and social-emotional use of chatbots.
These findings raise important questions about the opportunities and risks of AI in adolescents’ lives and point to the need for AI literacy education, thoughtful platform design, and sustained research, especially among the most engaged young users.