Gen Z dated strategically—dating people 25% more attractive and successful than them to climb the social ladder. Gen Alpha, it seems, has decided the whole thing is too much effort. Instead, teen boys are quietly swapping first dates, awkward silences, and emotional guesswork for an AI girlfriend who never cancels, never argues, and always texts back.
In fact, research by Male Allies UK found that 20% of boys aged 12 to 16 know a peer who is “dating” an AI chatbot, while 85% have spoken to one, and over a quarter even prefer the attention and connection they get from a bot over the real thing.
