Springer Nature Marks A Decade on Capitol Hill with AI and Youth Mental Health on the Policy Agenda
10th annual Science on the Hill event examines how AI chatbot are shaping youth mental health and what policymakers need to know
New York, 19 May 2026 — Scientific American and Nature Portfolio, both part of Springer Nature, convened congressional staff from across the House and Senate with leading researchers on Capitol Hill for the tenth annual Science on the Hill, focusing on how AI chatbots are increasingly being used for mental health and particularly by teenagers.
The series forms part of Springer Nature’s long running commitment to supporting evidence-informed discussion. David Ewalt, Editor-in-Chief of Scientific American, said: “Science has a critical role to play in shaping policy decisions, but researchers and lawmakers rarely get the chance to connect. Science on the Hill helps bridge that gap by bringing evidence directly into the policy conversation.”
As lawmakers consider how to respond to the rapid adoption of generative AI, the event provided a timely forum to connect emerging scientific evidence with policy discussions on oversight, risk and public trust. Entitled “Help or Hype? How Kids Use AI Chatbots for Mental Health,” the panel focused on what current research can and cannot yet tell us about the benefits and risks of these tools.
The discussion was introduced by Scientific American Editor-in-Chief David Ewalt and moderated by Allison Parshall, Associate Editor for Mind and Brain. Panelists included:
- Dr. Vaile Wright, Senior Director for Health Care Innovation at the American Psychological Association
- Dr. Marie Bragg, Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at the NYU School of Medicine
- Cyra Alesha, Youth Advisor at UNICEF with an interest in responsibly blending humanity and technology
With mental health provider shortages continuing to limit access to care, the panel explored why young people may seek support elsewhere — and why that trend matters for policymakers.
“People go to AI for advice because they believe it’s nonjudgmental or it can give unbiased information,” Cyra Alesha said: A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 64% of teens have used AI chatbots, with more than one in four using such tools daily.
Panelists emphasized, however, that reliance on these tools comes with significant risks. They pointed out that these platforms are designed to keep people on as long as possible, and they may begin to create dependency in users, particularly if they do not feel like they have trusted people in their lives to turn to. Dr. Vaile Wright noted: “We know from developers themselves that when you engage in these multi-term conversations, both the accuracy deteriorates, so how much it is likely to hallucinate on you, but also the guardrails start to break down.”
The discussion also addressed the regulatory landscape. While the FDA has approved digital mental health solutions in recent years, including apps with solutions involving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the agency has yet to clear mental health tools using generative AI. As a result, many operate in a grey area — raising questions for policymakers around accountability, safety standards and consumer protection.
Dr. Marie Bragg emphasized the implications for vulnerable populations: “There are things that we know as licensed clinicians that we need to do if someone expresses imminent risk of hurting themselves or others. Those robust guardrails aren’t always there in the same full force way they might be for a clinician.”
Looking ahead, the panel pointed to the importance of design choices that emphasize chatbots as a tool can be a way of reducing dependency while remaining effective. As research sheds light on the real-world impact of new technologies, connecting that research to policymakers becomes critical.
More about the event and the wider series can be found here.
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Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S. and the leading authoritative publication for science and technology in the general media. Together with scientificamerican.com and eight local language editions around the world, it reaches more than nine million readers. Scientific American is published by Springer Nature.
Eseohe Arhebamen-Yamasaki | Head of Communications, U.S. | Springer Nature
