Technology can both shape and strain our mental well-being. This article explores how AI’s role in mental health opens new possibilities—and new dilemmas.
The digital era has brought many benefits to humanity. This is especially visible in the field of communication, where technology allows us to be more connected than ever to the rest of the world. Whether in a desert, on a mountain, or in many other previously unthinkable places, mobile phones let us stay in touch with others as if we were in the same place. However, their constant use has also created a problem.
In today’s world, technology is not only part of our lives but also shapes the way we feel, think, and relate to others. It can comfort us and make us safe, yet at the same time it can create habits that affect our mental well-being—a clear example of which is nomophobia.
Here’s the tension at the heart of this piece: technology can sit on both sides of the equation—when overused, it can fuel habits linked to anxiety and dependence (as in nomophobia); yet the same digital ecosystem can offer AI-enabled support that can help people manage those effects, such as AI-assisted therapy and, a more controversial one, AI therapy.
This article examines nomophobia and how technology can play both roles: contributing to the problem while also offering ways to address its consequences on the use of AI in mental health.
Nomophobia: Real-World Anxiety, Unofficial Diagnosis
Nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) is a psychological phenomenon defined as the irrational fear or intense anxiety people experience when they cannot access their phone, run out of battery or coverage, or lose the ability to communicate through it. According to an article in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, nomophobia is linked to increasing technological dependence and the integration of the phone into everyday life.
Although such study notes that nomophobia is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, it warns that it can cause symptoms similar to other anxiety disorders—such as nervousness, agitation, tachycardia, or difficulty concentrating. It can also impact mental health, academic or work performance, and interpersonal relationships, especially for those whose smartphone is their main means of interaction.
Other research shows that the prevalence of nomophobia varies considerably across different population groups, with rates ranging from 15.2% to 99.7% depending on cultural context, educational level, and age. It is especially common among adolescents and young adults between 15 and 30 years old, but it also affects adults between 30 and 50, particularly those who use their phones for work purposes or as a tool to organize daily activities.
This baseline has become even more critical in the post-pandemic era of nomophobia. The period of global lockdowns forced an abrupt and sustained shift toward hyperconnectivity, transforming the smartphone into an essential, always-on device for work, education, and social survival. Studies show that the deeply ingrained habits of constant digital engagement—the compulsion to check for updates and be always reachable—have largely persisted.
The Two Sides of Technology and Mental Health: Shaping Problems and Solutions
Phenomena like nomophobia are a warning about the psychological impact that the uncontrolled irruption of technology can have on our daily lives. However, paradoxically, technology presents two side: it’s as much part of the problem as it could be part of the solution.
On the one side, it’s clear that the emergence of nomophobia is strictly linked to technology and its integration in our daily life. On the other side, emerging technologies can also bring an opportunity to explore their benefits in other areas of our lives and even seek to help us address the effects of tech addiction.
In this regard, one of the most promising technologies is artificial intelligence (AI), which, after long being a resource reserved for industrial settings, has become integrated into areas such as well-being and mental health.
AI: From Industrial Resource to Everyday Problem Solver
Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that creates systems capable of performing one or more tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, perceiving, understanding language, or making decisions.
Its goal is to equip machines with the ability to analyze data, recognize patterns, and adapt to their environment in order to solve problems autonomously. This has led to its integration into multiple areas of our lives. Since 2023, the pace of AI adoption has accelerated exponentially, moving this once-niche technology into the consumer, corporate, and public sectors at an unprecedented rate.
Today, AI is a common tool across different environments—both personal and professional ones—and, in some cases, it’s even being used as an advisor. From professionals to the general public, more and more people feel the need to explore this new technology and see what it is capable of.
AI is increasingly being used by organizations—ranging from law firms to biomedical labs—which is resulting in reducing years of work to mere minutes. Its use also extends to customer service, by means of chatbots, and it has even reached the executive suite: in 2022, the Chinese technology firm NetDragon Websoft, a publicly traded company, appointed an AI named Tang Yu as CEO.
If this technology can already analyze millions of data points, make strategic decisions, and even run companies, could it also become an effective therapist for addressing problems like nomophobia? This question grows louder as more and more people turn to AI seeking advice.
There is a developing trend toward the use of AI therapy. In recent years, AI-powered platforms and applications specifically designed to provide personalized psychological support have emerged, sparking both enthusiasm and concerns.
Scope and Limits of AI in Mental Health
The use of AI in the field of mental health is no longer a futuristic projection, but a reality: it represents a new frontier, establishing previously unthinkable options—such as AI therapy, that places AI at the center of a readily available option for psychological support.
The use of AI among mental health professionals is growing. A study in Frontiers in Psychology involving experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and several European countries found that 43% of mental health professionals currently use AI-powered tools in their work, especially for tasks such as clinical research or report writing.
That’s only from the therapist’s perspective. Yet, the adoption of AI is not limited to the clinic; the general public is also increasingly turning to this technology for mental health support.
This dual interest solidifies the two distinct forms of service currently emerging:
- AI-assisted therapy, where technology supports human specialists with diagnostics and administration;
- AI therapy, where automated applications and chatbots provide direct, real-time emotional support to the user.
AI-Assisted Therapy
There are already available statistics on the adoption of AI-assisted therapy solutions. According to figures from the World Economic Forum, 32% of people worldwide would be willing to participate in AI-assisted therapy. In India, for example, interest reaches 51%, while in the United States and France it hovers around 24%.
These numbers help explain the expansion of AI apps with diverse uses—from guiding breathing exercises and managing anxiety, to implementing systems that detect emotional patterns in language in order to recommend therapeutic strategies.
AI Therapy
Although there is still limited data on AI therapy, the still limited available evidence points to potential promising results. A review of 15 clinical trials found that AI-based conversational agents (CAs) achieved moderate improvements in symptoms of depression, as well as a slight enhancement in emotional health.
However, most of the trials were short in duration and involved small samples, so the long-term effects, and ethical implications remain unclear. As expected, this brings about unprecedented opportunities, but also raises complex controversies.
AI Therapy: Limitations and Concerns
Despite rapid advances in AI technology, AI therapy faces fundamental limitations when it comes to mental health. While it represents a significant step forward in accessibility and innovation, its growing presence in mental health care also demands caution.
The therapeutic relationship is built not only in communication but on trust, empathy, and the stubble understanding of emotions, elements that no algorithm can fully replicate.
Its response capabilities are based on data analysis and pattern detection, which means its recommendations are made through generalizations that do not always fit the complexity and uniqueness of the individual. Moreover, it lacks genuine empathy, an indispensable human quality in therapeutic processes.
Beyond the issues already mentioned, several other recurring controversies surround AI therapy, including:
- Privacy and Security: AI platforms often require access to sensitive personal information, raising concerns about how this data is stored, shared or monetized.
- Algorithmic Bias: AI learns from databases and may reproduce cultural, gender o racial biases that affect the quality or fairness of their responses.
- Regulation: Without clear legal frameworks, it would be difficult to determine who should be held responsible if an AI provides inadequate or harmful guidance.
- Manipulation: AI systems can be designed to promote certain messages or values, opening the possibility that their guidance may respond more to external interests than to the user’s emotional well-being.
Between Connection and Dependence
The relationship between technology and mental health reflects a profound paradox and demands for a complex balance.
Nomophobia reveals how easily our connection to technology can blur into dependence, while the rise of AI use for mental health assistance illustrates how the same innovation that fuels anxiety can also help us better understand and support emotional well-being. These two realities coexist, revealing that the question is not whether technology helps or harms—but how it is used, understood, and integrated into our lives.
Still, this progress raises important questions about the limits of what machines can truly offer in such a human field. As AI continues to evolve at unprecedented speed, its role in mental health will depend on the intentions and limits we set. While algorithms can guide, listen, and even comfort, the emotional depth and empathy that define human care remain irreplaceable. Deep understanding and interpersonal connection are at the core of human interaction.