Girl Scout cookies may still sell themselves, but when it comes to homework help, jokes, and emotional support, young girls are letting AI do the heavy lifting. A new survey from Girl Scouts of the USA finds that AI has quietly become a fixture in the lives of girls ages 5 to 13, and most parents don’t know how intertwined it is in their daily activities.
Sixty-five percent of girls who use voice-activated assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Home say they view them as friends, according to the survey conducted by Wakefield Research in March 2026. Additionally, 62% think of AI companions or chatbots as friends. Among those girls, two-thirds have turned to AI for help when feeling sad, upset, anxious, or lonely.
