Why Young Adults Turn to AI Even When They Don’t Trust It Understanding AI as a Coping Mechanism in a Post‑Pandemic Generation

Most young adults don’t feel great about AI.
They worry it’s a shortcut. They worry it’s bad for the environment. They worry it’s making them
dependent, or dull, or somehow less “real.” They joke about it replacing jobs while quietly
wondering if that joke is a little too close to the truth.

And yet, they still use it.

Some say it’s because they’re careless.
Others say it’s because they’re lazy.
Perhaps it’s because AI arrived at a moment when a generation was already underwater.

The pandemic didn’t just disrupt school or work. It disrupted the years when young adults were
supposed to learn how to plan, self‑regulate, build routines, and tolerate stress. Those skills
weren’t lost; they were never fully formed. And when life snapped back to full speed,
expectations returned faster than the executive‑function muscles needed to meet them.

Into that gap came AI.

At first, it was a study hack. A way to break down assignments when attention felt scattered. A
tool to organize days that had no structure. But slowly, almost quietly, AI became something
else: a coping mechanism.

It helps when:

• Stress shuts down the ability to start
• Anxiety makes tasks feel impossible
• Burnout turns planning into a brick wall
• The brain is tired in a way that isn’t fixed by sleep

And unlike previous generations, young adults talk openly about stress, anxiety, depression, and
overwhelm. They name their limits. They ask for help. So when a tool shows up that offers
structure without judgment, it makes sense that people reach for it, even if they feel conflicted
about it.

This is the part wellness conversations often miss:
AI isn’t replacing human skills. It’s filling gaps created by a global disruption.

So what’s the solution?
Maybe it’s not about banning AI or pretending it’s temporary. It’s probably not going anywhere.
The more honest starting point is acknowledging why young adults are drawn to it in the first
place.

Because that tells us something bigger — something about:

• How stress tolerance is shifting
• How work‑life balance is being renegotiated
• How executive function is evolving in a generation entering the workforce with a different
  developmental history

AI didn’t become a lifeboat because young adults are fragile. It became a lifeboat because they
were thrown into deep water without the tools that previous generations took for granted.

Understanding that isn’t defeatist. It’s the first step toward building the skills, structures, and
supports that make the lifeboat feel optional instead of essential.
 

Sources:

Loades, M. E., Chatburn, E., Higson‑Sweeney, N., Reynolds, S., Shafran, R., Brigden, A.,
Linney, C., McManus, M. N., Borwick, C., & Crawley, E. (2020). Rapid systematic review: The
impact of social isolation and loneliness on the mental health of children and adolescents in the
context of COVID‑19. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,
59(11), 1218–1239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.05.009

Hudon, A., & Stip, E. (2025). Delusional experiences emerging from AI chatbot interactions or
“AI psychosis.” JMIR Mental Health, 12, e85799. https://doi.org/10.2196/85799

Mota, C.P., & Ferreira, M. (2025). Loneliness, self-control and challenges of the COVID-19
experience in the academic adaptation of young adults. Current Psychology, 44, 18496 - 18510