MANY CHILDREN AND TEENS are turning to artificial intelligence for help with homework, questions about their health and body and personal problems before turning to an adult, according to a new national survey from Common Sense Media. 

The report, which surveyed 1,204 children nationwide, found that nearly 9 in 10 kids age 9 to 17 use or interact with AI, including about 1 in 4 who do so on a daily basis. Children used AI primarily for entertainment, schoolwork and creative uses such as generating images and videos, with about half seeking information about their health or body and advice about future goals and decisions.

Nearly a quarter of children said they would turn to AI for help with schoolwork or homework before seeking guidance from a teacher, counselor or parent. Those who struggled more with math skills, writing essays and working on something challenging were more likely to use AI weekly or more for schoolwork. 

“You can exploit AI to do all your assignments from school, and use multiple AIs to make it look handmade,” one respondent told researchers.

Researchers also raised concerns about AI dependency, with 20% of children who use AI saying it would be difficult to stop using AI for a month — rising to 42% among daily users. 

About 1 in 10 kids agreed that they sometimes feel AI understands them better than most people do, with 19% of daily users feeling that way. Kids who reported feeling lonelier were also more likely to use AI more frequently for social and emotional support, with those who had a harder time making friends more likely to use chatbots to practice social skills and discuss personal feelings or problems.

“We see tweens and teens are using these tools to create, to learn, to laugh, and to relate. But downsides lurk; heavier use of these tools is associated with loneliness and less happiness in young people. …”
Common Sense Media report

“We see tweens and teens are using these tools to create, to learn, to laugh, and to relate,” said the report. “But downsides lurk; heavier use of these tools is associated with loneliness and less happiness in young people. This could be because lonely or unhappy teens are seeking support from AI, or because an overreliance on AI is displacing healthy coping skills.”

Researchers also found gaps in AI literacy and safety education. Nearly half of children had not discussed AI safety with parents or teachers, and only about a third correctly understood that AI cannot reliably distinguish true and false information. And when a chatbot showed something inappropriate to 1 in 6 children who use AI, most did not tell a trusted adult about it.

“Despite this evidence showing a need for more support, teens report that the rules guiding AI use are still being developed even as the journey is already underway,” the report said, “and that conversations about AI safety are still missing from many classrooms and dinner tables.”

Many children also said they understood AI better than adults. 

“Adults seem to have a hard time knowing which videos or reels are real or AI. I have to tell my mom it’s fake a lot,” one respondent told researchers.

This story originally appeared in EdSource.