AI concern jumps to fourth-biggest worry for young Australians, wellbeing survey finds

The survey found 69 per cent of young Australians feel guilty for relaxing, citing worries about wasting time or feeling they should be doing something productive. It also found 26 per cent of respondents could not manage more than three hours without their phone, 34 per cent of participants worried about how AI would affect the future jobs market, and one in four Gen Zers turned to AI when in need of life advice.

Separate University of Sydney research earlier this year found the number of mental disorders among 16-to-24-year-olds surged from 23.4 per cent in 2007 to 36.2 per cent in 2022, a relative increase of about 54 per cent.

Professor Nikki Rickard, a professor of wellbeing science at the University of Melbourne, said periods of boredom and mental quietness, though they might feel foreign, are essential for young people's development. She said traditionally young people are “pretty bad at seeking help for their mental health”, and AI technology has helped fill gaps where stigma or accessibility to services act as a barrier. AI and digital tools “offer a level of personalisation that can be really helpful, particularly for marginalised groups”, she said, while stressing the importance of using specialised AI tools that have been rigorously trained as professionals are.

Dhananjay Nagpal, 20, a computer science student at the University of Melbourne, said he mostly uses AI for academic purposes, but sometimes to reflect on his own thoughts. “Not asking for advice, but maybe just reassuring myself,” he said. “But again, it’s just a computer, right? So you can’t really trust it.”

Critical thinking researcher Dr Samantha-Kaye Johnston said personalised general-purpose AI systems appeal to young people “because they’re quite convincing in terms of how they anticipate their needs, and they’re available 24/7”. She warned that to be genuinely beneficial, AI chatbots and coaches need to be designed to provide cognitive friction, “which is the intellectual effort that’s involved in questioning information and being comfortable in encountering competing perspectives instead of just immediately receiving an answer”. Johnston said it comes down to helping young people reach the autonomy to know when to turn away from chatbots for guidance and towards the humans in their lives.

University student Alyssa Mortimore, 19, said she often felt stressed from doing too much and struggled to take a break. “You’re seeing so many people at times who are overworking themselves to the point where they’re not able to do anything,” she said. After moving from the Tasmanian town of Huonville to Melbourne two years ago, she said she made hobbies and relaxation without the expectation of productivity a non-negotiable part of her schedule.