Who will turn to chatbots for self-disclosure? Exploring conversation with chatbots, self-compassion, and existential meaninglessness in American and Hong Kong adolescents

Abstract Who will turn to chatbots for emotional disclosure? This research contributes to ongoing scientific efforts to understand chatbot usage behaviors among adolescents. Specifically, we examined the relationships between self-disclosure to chatbots and levels of self-compassion and existential meaninglessness, as well as whether gender and culture moderate these preferences. A cross-cultural survey study was conducted to pursue this goal. A total sample of 2272 adolescents (M age = 15.53 years) from the United States and Hong Kong was collected. A major finding was that the preference for self-disclosure with chatbots was positively correlated with levels of self-compassion and negatively correlated with levels of existential meaninglessness. These correlations were moderated by gender and culture. The results also indicated that adolescents who exclusively self-disclose to chatbots may experience a higher level of existential meaninglessness. These new findings present opportunities for future studies that will enhance our understanding of the relationship among self-disclosure to chatbots, self-compassion and existential meaninglessness.