Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: Dec 30, 2025
Date Accepted: Jul 7, 2026
Generative AI in Youth Mental Health Apps: A Rapid Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Mental health apps are frequently used as a platform for delivering digital health interventions to youth. The development of technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, enables a wider range of engaging and more personalized features that can be included in mental health apps. However, there is limited insight into the opportunities for integrating generative AI into such apps.
Objective:
This rapid review aims to provide a systematic overview of the possibilities of integrating generative artificial intelligence into mental health apps for young people. Furthermore, the review aims to report potential benefits and disadvantages of the integration of generative artificial intelligence in such apps.
Methods:
A systematic search was conducted in four databases in November 2025, to identify studies that evaluated mental health apps with integrated generative artificial intelligence. Eligible studies included primary research published between 2022 and 2025, involving a sample of young people aged 11–24 years, and written in either English or a Scandinavian language.
Results:
A total of eight articles were included in the review. The most common method of integrating generative artificial intelligence into mental health apps for young people was with chatbots. Overall, adolescents rated the apps as having good usability and quality. Some studies also provided data on effectiveness, showing promising results for outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and distress. None of the studies reported any negative effects of the technology on young people’s mental health.
Conclusions:
Young people are generally positive about apps that include generative artificial intelligence. Some evidence suggests that such tools can have a preventive or health-promoting effect on young people’s mental health. However, research in this area is still limited. Further research should examine the potential long- and short-term effects of integrating generative AI into mental health apps. It is also important to get a more nuanced picture by mapping possible negative effects in future studies.
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