AI companion apps and youth social connections in China
你最近有没有用AI社交软件结交新朋友？感觉现在年轻人都在试。
Have you recently used AI social apps to make new friends? It feels like all young people are trying them now.
Cultural Context
A Tencent Research Institute survey in April 2026 found that AI-powered social apps have gone fully mainstream among Chinese youth. Apps using AI to match strangers with shared interests and facilitate icebreaker conversations are sparking heated discussions about digital friendship and human connection.
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