Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots to Promote Health Behaviors in Adolescents

Background/Objectives: Adolescence is a critical developmental period for establishing health behaviors that shape long-term well-being and chronic disease risk. However, many adolescents do not meet recommendations for physical activity (PA), diet, screen time, or sleep. This review examines the use of AI chatbots to promote adolescents’ health behaviors. It synthesizes the existing literature on the use of AI chatbots to promote adolescents’ health behaviors, with a focus on four areas: design, feasibility, impact, safety and ethics. Methods: This narrative review synthesized adolescent-focused studies and relevant studies involving children, young adults, mixed-age samples, or unspecified populations when their findings were applicable to adolescent health behavior interventions. The evidence was organized around chatbot design, feasibility, behavioral outcomes, and safety and ethical issues. Results: Selected studies reported favorable usability, satisfaction, or engagement during brief evaluations. Adaptive personalization, contextual prompting, and theory-guided dialogue were reported design features, but their contributions to sustained engagement or behavioral outcomes remain uncertain. However, evidence of behavioral impact of AI chatbots remains limited and uneven across behavior domains (i.e., PA, dietary intake, screen time, and sleep). Safety and ethical concerns include accuracy and misinformation, privacy and data governance, and clear escalation and safety protocols. Conclusions: AI chatbots warrant further investigation for adolescent health behavior promotion. Current evidence does not establish general acceptability, sustained engagement, or behavior change efficacy, and further research should evaluate these outcomes alongside safety and ethical safeguards.