Our Evidence Briefs outline practices that can be integrated into program design, development, and evaluation. Visit our Good Youth Work Practices section to learn more!

In Ontario, 38% of students rated their mental health as fair or poor in 2023, and 51% reported moderate-to-serious psychological distress. At the same time, youth mental health support is often fragmented and under-resourced, creating pressure to expand access and reduce burdens on providers and youth-serving systems. Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) has been posed as a solution to closing this gap, enabling youth to access informal support through online tools and youth mental health and substance use programs to more efficiently support service users.

This Evidence Brief explores how Gen AI is being used to support youth wellbeing and provides practical recommendations for youth workers to guide and support young people in using this technology, emphasizing the need for human oversight. Although there is potential for Gen AI to support youth workers’ goals if used carefully, there is also potential for harm, especially around privacy, bias, crisis, and relational dependency.

This Evidence Brief was produced in Spring 2026. YouthREX acknowledges that generative AI technology is evolving in real time and that new evidence is emerging about potential benefits and harms. To learn more, read Generative AI in Youth Work: Insights, Ethics, and Practical Implications, another Evidence Brief on the topic of Gen AI from YouthREX, and visit the AI and Youth Work collection on the Knowledge Hub.