In October 2026, Count on Mothers released Pulse Check 2026, a nationally representative study of U.S. mothers on their families' mental health: what children need, whether families can get help, and how the effort of securing that care affects mothers themselves. The study draws on Wave 1 of the National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers and examines mothers' firsthand experience at home, in schools, across insurance systems, and online. It finds high and widely shared need, access that most often breaks down at cost and insurance, and a close link between how hard it is to get a child's care and how a mother is doing herself.

Childhood and adolescence is a critical time for young people's development, as they learn how to form healthy relationships and develop critical thinking and self-regulation skills. AI chatbots, designed to foster intimate relationships through personalization and persuasion techniques, create issues to which children and young people are more likely to be vulnerable. This convergence of factors, related to both human development and technological design, heightens the possibility of young people's exposure to harm, including exposure to misinformation, sexualized and self-harm content, overreliance and deskilling, and the commercial exploitation of their data and privacy. As such, robust safeguarding solutions, designed specifically for children and young people, are needed in this space. The authors recommendation is that until those protections are in place, AI chatbots as they are designed today are not built for children and young people, and their use by minors is best avoided.

In January 2026, Count on Mothers released findings from a nationally representative study of mothers across regions and the political spectrum on artificial intelligence's impact on children across home, school, and social settings — conducted in research collaboration with academic partners at the University of Chicago and University College London. Mothers assess potential risks, transparency gaps, and the need for institutional safeguards as AI becomes embedded in children's everyday environments. Findings describe a consistent message across political ideology, region, and education level: mothers are deeply concerned about AI's impact on children and overwhelmingly believe current deployments lack adequate protections.

In September 2025, Count on Mothers released findings from a nationally representative study of mothers across regions and the political spectrum on children's mental health needs, access to care, and family experiences navigating support systems. The study examines mothers' firsthand observations at home, in schools, and in healthcare settings to identify gaps in care and practical paths forward. Findings show the scale of unmet need, the central role of cost and insurance barriers, and the importance of school-based and family-centered solutions.