Abstract
Social AI services like ChatGPT and My AI are increasingly integrated into the lives of young people. Despite this growing use, there is limited research on how youth perceive and engage with social AI in their everyday social lives, as well as the broader social implications of such engagement. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study with 166 Norwegian high school students, using a questionnaire that included open-ended questions. Our findings show that while most youths had not yet adopted social AI on a regular basis, those who had reported a wide range of experiences and perceived utilities, including personalized assistance, tailored emotional support, entertainment, and creative inspiration. These patterns suggest an emerging shift toward more autonomous, AI-mediated forms of social engagement, in which social AIs are increasingly used in personal decision-making processes. We use the novel concept of AI individualism to interpret these developments and discuss how social AI may contribute to the reconfiguration of social support systems and interpersonal dynamics. Finally, we reveal potential risks raised by the sample, including misinformation, reduced privacy, and emotional overdependence on AI which may also harm social connections in society. This study contributes new empirical insights into youth–AI interaction and reflects the value of AI individualism as a novel framework for understanding the complexity and evolving role of social AI in everyday social life.