More than half of US children aged 9 to 17 had at least one AI app on their phone in September 2026, according to new anonymized data from Findmykids, a family safety app. The figure rose to 56.3%, up from 41.6% a year earlier, and the average number of AI apps per child grew 54%. The data, which reflects Findmykids users only and not all US children, highlights a rapid shift in how young people interact with artificial intelligence.
ChatGPT, usually self-installed rather than preloaded, saw its presence on kids' phones increase from 19% to 28%. The youngest users are adopting AI fastest: among 9-10 year-olds, ownership jumped from 37% to 53%, nearly matching teens at 58%, even though ChatGPT is not intended for children under 13.
Usage patterns reveal a stark divide. Chatbots function like a search box, with daily users growing 71% while time spent remained flat. AI companions—characters with a name, personality, and memory—are on only 8.7% of phones, but their use peaks at 103 minutes a day on weekends. On average, a chatbot user spends 18 minutes per day, while an AI companion user spends 93 minutes. "That gap, not the install count, is what parents should watch," said the Findmykids Analytics Team.
The implications are significant for parents, educators, and policymakers. Nearly half of teens using AI chatbots report at least one harmful experience, according to a national Cyberbullying Research Center survey. "Chatbots have moved past novelty status for many young people," writes the center's co-director Sameer Hinduja. The findings suggest that as AI becomes embedded in daily life, the risks extend beyond simple distraction to potential psychological and safety harms.
Restrictions on individual apps may not curb the trend. After Character.AI ended open-ended chats for minors, its daily users more than halved, but Talkie grew from 3.3% to 4.9% of phones, indicating that children migrate to alternative platforms. This underscores the challenge for regulators and parents seeking to manage AI access.
Findmykids provides parents with tools to see which apps, including new AI apps, a child has installed and their daily screen time. The full study is available on the Findmykids blog. As AI companions capture attention for over an hour and a half a day, the data signals a need for heightened awareness and proactive monitoring to ensure children's digital well-being.
