New anonymized data from data from Findmykids, a family safety app, shows that 56.3% of US children aged 9 to 17 had at least one AI app on their phone in September 2026, up from 41.6% a year earlier. The average number of AI apps per child grew by 54%, indicating that artificial intelligence is becoming a standard feature of young people's digital lives. Notably, ChatGPT, which is usually self-installed, rose from 19% to 28% of phones, despite not being intended for users under 13. The youngest users are adopting AI fastest: among 9-10 year-olds, ownership jumped from 37% to 53%, approaching the 58% rate among teens.
Usage habits reveal a sharp divide between two types of AI applications. Chatbots, such as ChatGPT, function like search boxes, with daily users growing 71% while time spent remained flat. In contrast, AI companions—characters with a name, personality, and memory—are on only 8.7% of phones but command intense engagement, peaking at 103 minutes a day on weekends. According to the Findmykids Analytics Team, "The average chatbot user spends 18 minutes a day in it. The average AI companion user spends 93. That gap, not the install count, is what parents should watch."
The report also highlights that restrictions on one app do not close off the category. After Character.AI ended open-ended chats for minors, its daily users more than halved, yet Talkie grew from 3.3% to 4.9% of phones. This suggests that children are migrating to alternative platforms rather than abandoning AI companions altogether. Furthermore, nearly half of teens using AI chatbots report at least one harmful experience, according to a national survey by the Cyberbullying Research Center. Sameer Hinduja, the center's co-director, writes, "Chatbots have moved past novelty status for many young people."
For parents and educators, these findings underscore the need for active monitoring. Findmykids allows parents to see which apps, including new AI apps, a child has installed and track daily screen time. The full study is available on the Findmykids blog. However, the data reflects Findmykids users only, not all US children, so the figures may not be nationally representative.
The implications are significant. As AI companions become more immersive, the risk of excessive screen time and exposure to harmful content rises. Parents should focus not just on whether their child has an AI app, but on how much time they spend with it and what kind of AI it is. With AI integration accelerating, proactive digital parenting is more critical than ever.
