BOYS are being left behind in school, shut out of work and are turning to AI chatbots for girlfriends, a report warns.

The “Lost Boys” study reveals young men are losing out in every area of life as formerly male-dominated industries collapse and role models vanish.

It found 550,000 young men are out of work or training — a rise of 150,000 since the pandemic.

But the number of women in that position has hardly changed.

The study found 2.5 million kids grow up without a dad — fuelling crime rates and poor mental health.

Without male role models, many lads turn to AI chatbots.

Nearly nine out of ten used them in the past year — far more than girls.

But one teen told researchers: “AI doesn’t help. You can make a boyfriend or girlfriend — but then they say horrible things to you.

“Even though you know they aren’t real it still affects your mental health.”

At the launch of the Centre for Social Justice’s report, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham blamed outdated “snobbery in education” for suggesting “the university route is the be-all and end-all”.