> The findings make stark reading: eight in 10 boys (85 per cent) have had a conversation with a chatbot, with 43 per cent saying they talk to bots so they can ask questions without feeling embarrassed. More than a quarter (26 per cent) say they like the attention and connection over real-life equivalents, and (36 per cent) admitted that they prefer speaking to AI chatbots rather than to their family and friends at times.

Next it waves at chatbot apps such as Character.AI without connecting them to the poll results besides "this app is popular" and general opposite sex attraction.

Then it goes into some examples and case studies, without providing evidence that it has generalized to the demographic at large.