How Teen AI Chatbot Use, Spotify Prompted Playlists Reshape Music Discovery

A new survey from Pew Research “Teens Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025” shows that in addition to social media, AI chatbots are rapidly embedding themselves into teen digital life. Spotify is jumping on the trend with a new feature call Prompted Playlists. All of this has huge implications for musicians and music marketers.

Teens & Social Media

YouTube stands out for being used by nearly all teens. Roughly nine-in-ten report ever using it,” according to Pew Research‘s “Teens Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025,”

Teens also widely use three other platforms:

• About six-in-ten or more say they use TikTok and Instagram.
• A somewhat smaller share say they go on Snapchat (55%).
• Fewer use Facebook (31%) and WhatsApp (24%).
• No more than about one-in-five say the same of Reddit or X (formerly Twitter).

Roughly 1 in 5 U.S. teens say they are on TikTok and YouTube almost constantly,

Teens & AI Chatbots

Teens remain heavy users of social media platforms, for now at least. Nearly all use the internet daily. But another trend may prove to be even more impactful than social media for musicians and anyone marketing music.

Among U.S. teens (ages 13-17), 64% say they’ve used an AI chatbot (like ChatGPT). About 3 in 10 use a chatbot daily.

This isn’t just a tech-trend. For musicians, labels, and promoters trying to sell tickets — as well as fans — the shift is huge.

Chatbots Are Part of Teens’ Daily Digital Routine

For 64% of teens chatbots are joining that mix.

Among them, ChatGPT leads the pack (59% of teen chatbot users), followed by Gemini (23%) and Meta AI (20%) — while usage of other bots like Character.ai, Copilot or Claude is smaller.

That shift suggests a quiet but powerful evolution: for many teens, AI chatbots are becoming as normal as streaming apps, messaging, or social media browsing.

Spotify Prompted Playlists

Spotify is already responding to growing chatbot use with a new feature called Prompted Playlists.

Premium listeners in New Zealand have beta access. “It’s the first feature that puts control of the algorithm and the broader Spotify experience directly in your hands,” says Spotify.

Prompted Playlists lets the user describe what they want to hear and set rules for a personalized playlist. It then looks back at their entire Spotify listening history back to day one. “Each playlist reflects not only what you love today, but the full arc of your taste,” says the streamer. Spotify then curates and updates based on listening patterns and “world knowledge.”

Examples:

• Ask for “music from my top artists from the last five years,” then push it further with “and feature deep cuts I haven’t heard yet.”
• Request “high-energy pop and hip-hop for a 30-minute 5K run that keeps a steady pace before easing into relaxing songs for a cool-down,” and layer on something like “include music from this year’s biggest films and most-talked-about TV shows that match my taste.”

What This Means for Music Creators & Fans

New Ways to Discover & Engage with Music

Imagine a teen asks a chatbot, “What’s a good new album if I like XYZ genre?” The bot could instantly generate suggestions, link to streaming platforms, or even surface related videos or artists. This transforms discovery from passive feed-scrolling to active conversation. For independent or niche artists, that’s a massive opportunity.

Enhanced Fan Interaction & Engagement Tools

Chatbots can serve as virtual fan-assistants: recommending concerts or merch, helping top buy tickets, summarizing an artist’s background, or even interacting directly with fans in creative ways (e.g., pretend “fan-bot Q&A,” lyric breakdowns, or custom playlists).

For marketers and promoters, that opens up new promotional avenues.

Changing Expectations of Audio & Content Consumption

As teens get used to AI-generated conversation and content, their expectations shift. They may begin to expect on-demand, personalized content — not just music but context, background, stories. Artists who integrate storytelling, AI-powered chat, or interactive content might stand out.

But There Are Challenges and Risks Ahead

The study also shows meaningful variation by demographics: Black and Hispanic teens report higher chatbot use than White teens; older teens (15–17) use chatbots more than younger ones.

That uneven adoption could shape which artists and genres find traction in AI-driven discovery. Also, while chatbots can be powerful tools for engagement, they raise questions about authenticity, quality of recommendations, and how algorithmic bias could affect what teens hear.

Moreover, heavy reliance on AI for social connection — rather than real social networks — may influence how youth consume media, and what they value from music, storytelling, and community.

What Musicians & Music Marketers Should Do Now

• Explore conversational AI: Think about how chatbots could be used in your own marketing — for fan Q&A, personalized recommendations, or release announcements.
• Make your content “bot-friendly”: Ensure music metadata, lyrics, bios are well-structured so that AI-powered tools can parse and surface them.
• Engage with diversity: Because chatbot usage varies by demography, tailor outreach to under-represented audiences; bots could help lower barriers to discovery.

Final Thoughts

As teens and all users increasingly adopt AI chatbots for entertainment and information, the way music is discovered, consumed, and shared could shift dramatically. For musicians and marketers who embrace these tools early, there’s a chance to engage younger fans in new, conversational ways — and to redefine what “fan engagement” looks like in the age of AI.

Bruce Houghton is Founder & Editor of Hypebot, Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of Skyline Artists.