In Term 1 this year, The Man Cave surveyed over 1,500 teenage boys across Australia about how they’re using AI.

Not whether they’re using it. We already knew the answer to that.

More than half interact with AI at least several times a week. One in six uses it almost constantly.

What they’re using it for

69% of boys use AI to learn beyond what’s taught in class. 59% use it for tutoring. 52% use it for homework help, sometimes when the teacher said not to.

Boys are curious. They’re using AI the way previous generations used encyclopedias or Google: to fill gaps, go further, figure things out on their own terms.

But that’s not the part worth sitting with.

This is the part worth sitting with

1 in 4 boys is using AI for mental health support. The kind they might otherwise get from a counsellor, a teacher, or a parent.

1 in 4 is using it as a companion or friend.

And 1 in 10 is using it for a romantic relationship.

These aren’t outliers. They’re a pattern, and that pattern is telling us something important about where boys feel they can go and where they feel they can’t.

Why boys turn to AI

Boys are already navigating AI, identity, relationships and mental health, mostly without a roadmap.

AI doesn’t judge. It doesn’t get awkward, change the subject, or tell him to toughen up. For a boy who’s learned that needing help makes him weak, that’s actually a lot.

That gap is worth closing before it gets wider.

What you can do

Curiosity keeps the door open. Not the right words, not the perfect moment. Just genuine interest in what his world looks like.

Ask what he talks to AI about. When the moment feels right, try:

“Is there anything you’ve asked AI that you’d want to ask me instead?”

“What do you use it for most?”

“Has it ever said something that didn’t sit right with you?”

You don’t need to compete with AI. You just need to stay in the conversation.

Want boys to have somewhere real to turn?

Our school workshops give boys the permission, language and space to open up with real people. Find out more at themancave.life/programs/school-workshops/