(TNND) — Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, said a new report examining the use of artificial intelligence among children and teens should be a “quite a wake-up call” for parents, educators and policy makers.
“AI’s takeover of childhood has happened in just three years, which is about twice as fast as when social media became popular,” Steyer said.
He said AI is spreading like wildfire in the digital products children use in and out of school, and efforts to protect children are not keeping pace with the risks.
Common Sense Media, a leading youth digital safety advocacy organization, surveyed more than 1,200 children ages 9 to 17 for a new report. This is one of the first major initiatives to emerge from the new Youth AI Safety Institute.
The study investigated how, why and how often children use AI. And this study will serve as a baseline for tracking how AI use and attitudes change over time among tweens and teens.
According to a study by Common Sense Media, 86% of kids have used generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Almost a quarter said they use AI daily.
AI-generated summaries in search engine results are widely used, and more than two-thirds of children have used an AI chatbot.
In total, 81% of 9-12 year olds, 89% of 13-15 year olds, and 92% of 16-17 year olds are using some form of generative AI.
89% of children who use AI said they use it for fun and entertainment.
Additionally, more than 8 in 10 say they use AI to help with schoolwork, including 94% of teens and older.
Three-quarters said they use AI to create images, videos, stories, and more.
Additionally, more than half (57%) said they rely on AI for advice about their health and physical health.
“AI has become almost ubiquitous in the lives of teens and young adults,” Steyer said.
But he said schools were largely unprepared.
And the survey found that almost half of children, 44%, have not discussed the safety of AI with their parents.
“This is one of the most important conversations you can have with your kids this summer,” Steyer said.
Research has shown that children who feel lonely are more likely to use AI, and Steyer warned that this could be dangerous.
“They talk about the word sycophant in the context of AI, because they’re so nice and AI chatbots and AI platforms will sometimes tell you whatever you want to hear,” he said. “By the way, they also give you false information.”
Steyer, who was a professor at Stanford University for decades, said children and teens are forming an emotional and academic dependence on AI.
One-fifth of children who use AI, including 42% of those who use it regularly, said it would be difficult for them to go a month without it.
“Many kids who use AI every day have a hard time quitting it, and that’s a sign of addiction,” Steyer says. “If you say so, it could be a sign of addiction.”
Among children who use AI for homework help, 16% said they have difficulty starting or completing homework when AI is not available.
More than half (56%) of kids who have trouble concentrating on school work use AI for schoolwork at least once a week, compared to 45% of kids who don’t have as much trouble staying focused.
Steyer warned of a growing reliance on technology for education, where “kids are literally having AI do their homework for them and literally not reading books or writing papers.”
Steyer said AI could be useful in academics. But learning sticks when children work hard, rather than just having a chatbot spit out answers, he said.
“We know that we need to provide a tremendous amount of resources to all educators, parents, and students about the safe, responsible, and ethical use of AI,” he said.
Common Sense Media previously published an AI risk assessment, warning of unacceptable risks to young people’s mental health and raising safety concerns about AI-enabled toys.
Common Sense Media has also been working with lawmakers on AI safety legislation, such as the bill passed in New York last week aimed at protecting children from the dangerous features of chatbots.
Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images, File
The group found that only a third of teens and teens knew that AI cannot reliably distinguish between fact and fiction.
And only about half of children have heard from their school or teacher how to tell if the information generated by AI is accurate and reliable.
Nearly one-fifth of young AI users reported viewing inappropriate content.
Almost half have used AI to get advice about their future or goals.
Four in 10 young AI users use the technology to practice conversation and social skills.
Additionally, more than a third of teens and teens using AI have discussed their feelings and personal issues with a chatbot.
According to Common Sense Media, children have mixed feelings about how AI will impact their lives. A majority of 52% said AI should have both positive and negative impacts on them in the coming years, while 26% expected a primarily positive impact and 14% expected a primarily negative impact.
