Parents, Meet the AI Companion Your Teen Has Already Been Using Since 2023

Much of the public conversation about artificial intelligence and teens has focused on platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google Gemini. These tools often get framed as new, powerful, and potentially risky because of their ability to converse, advise, and even comfort users.

What often gets missed is this simple reality, most teens did not start their AI relationship with ChatGPT or Google Gemini, they started in Snapchat.

In early 2023, Snapchat quietly embedded Snapchat MyAI directly into the app. It appeared as a pinned chat at the top of conversations. No download, no sign-up, no payment, it was on by default and currently at the time of writing this article, can’t be deleted unless you pay for a SnapChat+ premium account.

From a functional perspective, Snapchat’s MyAI fits the definition of a companionship style AI. It chats conversationally, answers questions, offers advice, and responds in a tone designed to feel friendly, supportive, and present. For teens who already live inside Snapchat, this was not a leap into new technology, it felt like just another contact in their chat list.

Many parents and caregivers have never heard of Snapchat’s MyAI, yet it remains one of the most widely used AI systems by youth.

Another detail that often surprises caregivers is that Snapchat’s My AI has relied on large language model technology associated with ChatGPT. In other words, the same conversational engine that raises concerns when teens access it directly has been living inside a social platform many families already allow.

This matters because it challenges a common assumption. Blocking or delaying access to standalone AI tools does not mean teens are not interacting with AI, in many cases, they already are.

When youth and teens talk about Snapchat MyAI, they rarely describe it as a novelty, often they describe it as convenient and something they have available 24/7.

Youth and teens have shared with us that they use it to:

• Get help rephrasing homework answers or brainstorming ideas

• Ask questions they feel awkward asking adults

• Talk through friendship or relationship stress

• Get quick explanations without judgment or pushback

From a youth or teen’s perspective, Snapchat MyAI feels low risk and always available. It does not lecture or tell them to log off, and it responds instantly.

Trying to keep youth and teens away from AI companionship tools is becoming unrealistic. These systems are already woven into the platforms they use daily. The more urgent task for parents and caregivers is helping young people understand how and when to use them. Remembering that AI can be a powerful tool, however, it should not become a stand in for human connection, trusted adults, or critical thinking.

Many families are having intense discussions about banning AI tools without realizing their child has been chatting with one for years. Awareness changes the tone of those conversations. It moves parents and caregivers from reaction to relevance.

If a youth or teen is already using Snapchat MyAI, the goal should not be panic or punishment. The goal should be literacy. Ask what they use it for, why they trust it and more importantly, ask them what they think it gets wrong. Those discussions do far more to build resilience than pretending the technology is not already there.

AI companions did not arrive with the current headlines associated with ChatGPT. For many teens, they arrived quietly inside Snapchat in 2023.

The question is no longer whether teens will encounter conversational AI. They already have. The more important question is whether the adults in their lives are ready to help them use it wisely, critically, and in healthy balance with real world relationships. That is where parental influence still matters most!

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech