Young Americans: Fearful yet Open to AI Therapy

National survey data show rising overall concern that AI will worsen mental‑health problems while younger adults are simultaneously more willing to use AI therapists and to form emotional bonds with chatbots. That generational divergence suggests adoption and regulatory preferences will split: younger cohorts may drive demand and normalization of therapeutic AI even as public anxiety and calls for safeguards grow. — If younger people both adopt and emotionally invest in AI therapy while the broader public grows wary, policymakers and companies will face contested choices about regulation, clinical standards, and the role of AI in mental‑health services.