Young Australians are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for mental health support, sharpening concerns about privacy, safety and the pressure building across an already stretched care system.

Polling from the NSW Office for Youth shows 29% of young people surveyed had used AI when seeking mental health support.

The same report found generative AI use is now widespread among children and young adults, with 71% of respondents aged 10 to 24 saying they had used the technology in the past 12 months.

Use was highest among 18 to 24-year-olds, at 83%, but the trend is no longer confined to university students or young adults. Almost half of 10 to 12-year-olds surveyed said they had used generative AI in the past year.

The findings point to a major shift in how young people are looking for help, information and reassurance.

AI is no longer just being used for homework, search or curiosity. For some young Australians, it is becoming part of the way they deal with stress, anxiety and personal problems.

The NSW survey found one in four young people using generative AI had used it for conversation and personal advice, while 24% had used it for mental health information.

That matters because mental health was also identified as one of the top issues facing young people in 2026, alongside cost of living and housing.

The appeal is easy to understand. A chatbot is available late at night, responds immediately and does not require a referral, payment or appointment.

For a teenager or young adult who feels embarrassed, isolated or unsure where to start, typing into an app can feel easier than speaking to a parent, teacher, doctor or counsellor.

But that convenience is also what makes the trend difficult for families, clinicians and regulators.

A private conversation with software can feel safe, but it may sit completely outside the view of anyone who could step in if a young person is at risk.

The NSW data shows most young people know where to seek support, with 81% saying they are at least aware of where to go if they need help.

Access, however, is far less even. Only 46% of young people with a mental health condition said they could access mental health services when they needed them, compared with 76% across all young people surveyed.

Affordability is even sharper. Only 12% of young people with a mental health condition said mental health services were affordable, compared with an average of 65% across all young people.

Dr Isabelle Scott, the Orygen and University of Melbourne researcher, says there was huge demand among young people for trustworthy and secure digital mental health tools.

“Young people are already using this technology,” Scott said. “We can either hop on board now … and actually shape its trajectory, or we can sit back and let it go wild.”

The broader national picture is just as serious. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s May 2026 update shows almost 39% of Australians aged 16 to 24 experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months, the highest rate of any age group.

The rate was higher among young women, at 45.5%, compared with 32.4% among young men. Anxiety disorders were the most common conditions, affecting nearly one in three people aged 16 to 24.

Financial pressure is adding to the strain. Headspace data released in February found 49% of young Australians ranked cost of living among their top five mental health concerns. S

Study pressure followed at 38%, while future job opportunities and housing affordability were both cited by 34%.

Those pressures are landing in a digital environment where young people are already surrounded by mental health content, not all of it reliable.

ReachOut research released in February found 78% of young Australians surveyed had been exposed to misleading or harmful mental health information online.

Half said mental health misinformation was a major issue when looking for support, and 58% said social media spreads too much unverified mental health advice.

Only 14% said they always check the source of mental health information they see online, while 48% said it was hard to know which online advice was actually helpful.

AI chatbots add another layer to that problem. They can present answers with confidence, even when the advice is incomplete, poorly suited to the person’s situation or unsupported by clinical evidence.

In mental health, that risk is not theoretical. Context matters. So does tone, timing, history and the ability to recognise when someone may be unsafe.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration is now looking more closely at digital mental health tools, including products that use artificial intelligence.

A TGA survey updated in June found 51% of consumer respondents using digital mental health tools did so without their healthcare professional being involved.

Consumers still wanted stronger checks. The survey found 78% believed digital mental health tools should be checked or approved before being made publicly available.

Health professionals were even more direct about the risks. Professional users identified privacy breaches, incorrect advice, overdiagnosis and deterioration in a person’s mental health as key concerns.

Among them, 22% said they had observed or experienced an adverse event involving a digital mental health tool, while 97% wanted to know whether a tool had been independently assessed for safety and performance.

Recent Australian research has also shown young people are not necessarily rejecting AI in mental health care. A 2026 study involving 32 young people explored how conversational generative AI could be used in youth mental health services.

Participants saw possible value, but only if the technology was transparent, safely governed and used without weakening access to human care.

That distinction is becoming central to the debate. Digital tools can help people record symptoms, prepare for appointments, access information and stay connected between sessions. They may also offer a first step for someone not ready to speak openly.

The risk grows when that first step becomes the only step. For Australia, the challenge is no longer whether young people will use AI for mental health support. They already are.