Millennials and Gen Z Are Turning to AI for Therapy, But It’s Not the Solution They Think It Is

But as someone who works in mental health and social work, I find this trend deeply troubling. The issues young people are facing anxiety, trauma, depression, grief, and identity struggles, are profoundly human experiences. They require real relationships, nuanced understanding, and ethical care. While AI can be helpful, it simply cannot replace the depth of support that trained professionals provide.

For many young people, the appeal of AI is easy to understand. It is always available, it doesn’t judge, and it feels safe for those who are nervous about opening up to another person. But safety and silence are not the same as healing. And comfort is not the same as clinical support.

AI systems, no matter how advanced, do not truly understand emotions. They predict them based on patterns. They may sound compassionate, but they cannot offer genuine empathy. They cannot read body language, notice subtle shifts in tone, or sense when someone is dissociating or struggling to express something painful. They cannot assess risk the way a trained clinician can, nor can they responsibly intervene in moments of crisis.

This is especially alarming because many young people are relying on AI during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. If someone expresses suicidal thoughts, intimate partner violence, or signs of a mental health crisis, AI cannot offer the safety planning, de-escalation, or professional accountability required in those moments. At best, it may offer a hotline number. At worst, it may miss the warning signs completely.

There is also a growing “self-diagnosis culture,” driven by social media trends, quick online quizzes, and wellness influencers. By adding AI into the mix, we are creating a dangerous cycle where young people diagnose themselves first and seek professional help last if at all. The more AI is seen as a replacement for therapy, the more it encourages avoidance of real, meaningful clinical care.

Professional therapists bring a level of training, ethical grounding, and human presence that no algorithm can replicate. Therapy is not just about responding to someone’s words; it’s about understanding the deeper context, the family history, the cultural background, and the lived experiences behind those words. It’s about building trust, navigating trauma carefully, and helping people challenge patterns that may be keeping them stuck. These are relational, emotional processes that require human connection.

This is not to say that AI has no place in mental health. It can be a valuable support, especially for education, journaling, or helping people track their emotions or habits. But it was never designed to replace licensed mental health professionals, and we shouldn’t allow it to. Young people deserve proper, evidence-based care, not digital approximations of it.

As AI continues to grow in popularity, we need to approach it with responsibility and honesty. That means being transparent about its limitations, regulating mental health tools more carefully, and ensuring they are used to complement, not replace, clinical care. Most importantly, we need to invest in the behavioral health workforce so that young people aren’t turning to AI because they feel they have no other choice.

Technology can be incredibly helpful, but we cannot outsource empathy. Healing requires humans.

About the Author

Emily Lamunu, LMSW is a social worker and global health professional with more than a decade of experience strengthening health systems in Uganda, Rwanda, and the United States. She works at the intersection of mental health, social work, homelessness, and community resilience.