The AI Generation Gap: Teens Embrace AI Tools While Parents Remain in the Dark

Most US Teens Use Generative AI. Most of Their Parents Don't Know

A news survey shows that AI use among high schoolers has exploded in recent months, as educators and parents struggle to keep up. A fresh wave of anxiety about children and technology is cresting, with parents and pundits increasingly interrogating how kids use smartphones, social media, and screens. It hasn't stopped teenagers from embracing generative AI. New research reveals what AI tools teenagers in the United States are using, and how often -- as well as how little their parents know about it. Seven in 10 teenagers in the United States have used generative AI tools, according to a report published today by Common Sense Media. The nonprofit analyzed survey answers from US parents and high schoolers between March and May 2024 to assess the scale and contours of AI adoption among teenagers. More than half of the students surveyed had used AI text generators and chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, as well as search engines with AI-generated results. Around 34 percent had used image generators like DALL-E, and 22 percent had used video generators. The survey indicates that US teenagers are embracing AI at pace with peers in the UK, where the Office of Communications found late last year that four in five teenagers used generative AI tools. It also shows that the pace of adoption is accelerating; in an earlier report on teenagers and AI released by Common Sense Media this June, based on responses from the end of 2023, only around half the respondents had used generative AI. The most common reason for using AI was school-related; more than half reported using it for "homework help," primarily in "brainstorming ideas." (Older teens were more likely to do so than younger ones.) The second most-common reason was good, old-fashioned boredom, followed by translating content from one language to another. One in five teens had used generative AI tools to joke around with friends. The survey results underscore how challenging and confusing educational institutions have found this moment. Six in 10 teens reported that their school either didn't have AI rules, or they didn't know what those rules were. There's no clear emerging standard for whether teachers should embrace or reject AI use; nearly the same number of teenagers reported using AI without their teacher's permission as the number reporting that they used it with their educator's blessing. More than 80 percent of parents said that their child's school "had not communicated" anything about generative AI. Only 4 percent reported schools banning generative AI. "We're seeing an almost paralysis from schools," says Common Sense head of research Amanda Lenhart. When teachers did have conversations with their students about AI use, it tended to shape how the kids viewed the technology. "Teenagers really listen and learn," Lenhart says, noting that the students who were given instructions by their educators were more likely to grasp how the technology worked, and more likely to check whether it was hallucinating or generating factually accurate sentences. "It makes a big difference." One notable finding from the survey was how clueless many parents are about whether their kids are using generative AI. Only 37 percent of parents with kids using AI tools were aware that they were doing so. Nearly a quarter of the parents with kids using AI tools had erroneously assumed that they weren't. Most parents had not discussed AI with their kids.

Parents have no idea how teens are using AI, survey finds

Teens are using generative AI without their parents' knowledge. Credit: Mashable Composite; Prostock-Studio / lielos / iStock / Getty A new survey found that parents significantly underestimate their teen's use of generative artificial intelligence. The technology, popularized by the conversational platform ChatGPT, allows users to ask pretty much any question of an AI bot and receive a specific and detailed original response. The survey, conducted this spring by the nonprofit organization Common Sense Media, polled 1,045 U.S. adult parents and their teens. Overall, 70 percent of the teens said they used generative AI. Of the teens who said they'd used at least one platform, only 37 percent of their parents were aware of their use. Almost a quarter of parents whose child had used the technology didn't know it, and nearly 40 percent of the adult respondents whose teen had experimented with the tools weren't sure about their experience doing so. Teens with generative AI experience said they most commonly used platforms for homework help, to avoid being bored, and to translate something from one language to another. Many of the teens admitted to using generative AI for school assignments without the teacher's permission. Some teens created new content using someone else's voice or image, sometimes as a joke or to tease another person. While participants were asked about their experience with using AI to make explicit nonconsensual imagery, those findings will be included in a future report. Amanda Lenhart, head of research for Common Sense Media, said that parents should start discussing the complexities of generative AI with their children so that they're prepared for what they might encounter. "You've got to talk about it because your kids are already using it, even if you don't think they are," Lenhart said. While the technology may benefit teens in numerous ways, Lenhart noted that young users may not be aware of its potential for reproducing bias and sharing incorrect or misleading information, often known as hallucinations. Teens also might not know when using generative AI tools is tantamount to cheating; or violates another person's privacy, when it's used to create imagery without their consent; or, understand that the large language models upon which generative AI platforms are built can have different training, tuning, and guardrails. "These tools pull from the best and the worst of the internet and the best and worst of humanity, and that means that sometimes what they share with us is both wrong and awful," Lenhart said. Parents may not know any of this important information if they've not read about or used generative AI, which is why it's helpful for adults to familiarize themselves with the technology as they start discussing it with their child, Lenhart added. She recommends that parents test out platforms that use this technology. They may even already spend time on platforms or services that incorporate generative AI, without realizing it. Google's Gemini search product, for example, currently produces generative responses to user inquiries. Meta's Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp communication tools have generative AI capabilities as well. Basic Meta AI prompts include "give me a personality quiz" and "how do I speed read?" Teens on Snap likely know its generative chatbot My AI, which adults could experiment with and then discuss with their child, Lenhart said. When engaging with teens about generative AI, parents can play with the technology together with or alongside their child. Lenhart cited asking it to write a silly poem, make up Halloween costume ideas, or plan a week of meals as examples. A parent could also watch their teen test a chatbot's knowledge of a topic they're passionate about and then discuss how to know whether the AI was wrong or right. Whatever parents choose, Lenhart says to focus on finding ways to help teens identify how AI platforms do or don't work and have that conversation together. The survey suggests those discussions aren't happening in the classroom, which Lenhart said is consequential. Common Sense research shows that teens who do participate in complex conversations and lessons about the topic at school have a more nuanced understanding of generative AI's pros and cons. But the survey found that this isn't happening for over half of the young respondents. Lenhart said it's important for teens to be told the rules for using generative AI when completing schoolwork, which may vary from teacher to teacher. "Most adolescents don't want to cheat," Lenhart said. "They want to use it in a way that is appropriate for learning, so tell them where that is so they can walk up to that line and not cross it." And according to the survey, suspicion of cheating may disproportionately affect Black students. In the survey, Black teens were twice as likely as White and Latino teens to say that their teachers incorrectly flagged their schoolwork as the product of generative AI when it wasn't. Lenhart said this finding mimics historic inequities in school-based discipline for Black youth. "AI tools are not exempt from the bias you probably already experience in your school," Lenhart said. The issue illustrates why it's so important that adults, at school and home, are aware of the challenges that teens will face in the era of generative AI.

The AI paradox: Many young people use it without their parent's knowledge - Softonic

It is an open secret that AI is used not just in the workplace, but in almost every aspect of life. Even the youngest ones use generative AIs, especially chatbots like ChatGPT, to ask questions, do homework, or seek advice. The curious thing is that a survey has found that almost no young person admits this use to their parents. A new study reveals which AI tools teenagers in the United States use and how often, as well as how little their parents know about it. Seven out of ten American teenagers have used generative AI tools, according to a report published today by Common Sense Media. The nonprofit organization analyzed responses to a survey conducted with parents and high school students between March and May 2024 to assess the scale and contours of AI adoption among teenagers. More than half of the surveyed students had used text generators and AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini, as well as search engines with AI-generated results. Around 34% had used image generators like DALL-E, and 22% had used video generators. A June report on teenagers and AI published by Common Sense Media shows that the pace of adoption is accelerating. In late 2023, less than half of the respondents had used generative AI. The most common reason for using AI was related to studies; more than half stated that they used it as "homework help," mainly to "generate ideas." The second most common reason was old-fashioned boredom, followed by the translation of content from one language to another. And one in five teenagers had used generative AI tools to joke with their friends. A notable conclusion from the survey is that many parents have no idea if their children are using generative AI. Only 37% of parents with children who use AI tools knew that they were doing so. Almost a quarter of parents with children who use AI tools had mistakenly assumed they did not. Most parents had not talked about AI with their children. Almost half of the parents surveyed were concerned that the arrival of generative AI tools could harm their children's writing and critical thinking. However, it wasn't all pessimism; parents were divided on how these tools would affect research skills, and more than a quarter stated that they expected AI tools to help their children generate ideas. Finally, one of the most concerning points of the study: teachers are more than twice as likely to accuse black students of using generative AI in their assignments compared to their white and Latino peers.

Teens are using AI for homework. What should parents do?

According to a new study, there is a gap between what parents think their kids are doing when they do homework online and that they're actually doing. Common Sense Media, a company that aims to build a more healthy, equitable and empowering future for all kids in the digital age, talked to more than 1,000 teenagers to find out how they are interacting with AI, or Artificial Intelligence, on a daily basis. The company's research found that 7 out of 10 teens between ages 13 and 18 use at least one type of generative AI tool that take a question or prompt and provide an instant answer. Most often, teenagers are using these tools to do their homework. "Parents and teachers are pretty much out of the loop, so that young people are using AI platforms with virtually no guidance," says Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media. In fact, only 37% of parents whose kids use AI actually knew their children were using it. Steyer said that parents have learned valuable lessons about technology from the introduction of the social media craze. At the time, it had few guardrails and kids had unfettered access to a variety of outlets. This time around, parents have a chance to get ahead of the wave. A growing number of experts, like Jonathan Haidt who wrote "The Anxious Generation, have expressed concern with the abundance of technological resources kids have access to. But teens and technology aren't always a bad combination. NBC's Kate Snow talked to Savannah Hill, a junior in high school who takes dance classes four days each week. Her busy schedule was "one of the reasons why I ended up resorting to ChatGPT," Hill says. When she had trouble catching up on her work in physics class, Hill says she "would go to ChatGPT to understand the topic that was being taught." Like many overwhelmed parents, Hill's mother, Muna Heaven, said she didn't know her daughter was using ChatGPT and felt "disappointed that the pace of the class got to the point where she had to find her own resources." The discovery wasn't all bad, however. "I'm very proud that she found a way to teach herself independently." She added, "I think that aspect of AI is great." Nearly half of parents haven't talked to their teenage children about AI and the vast majority of parents say that schools haven't communicated with them about AI policies, says Common Sense Media. So far, teens have been left to figure out their own rules about AI, which is why Steyer said, "It's essential for parents to take test drives with their kids, and learn with their kids how AI works." For kids who utilize AI for schoolwork, Common Sense Media recommends teaching kids how to form the right prompt and fact check AI's responses. It's also important to teach children not to rely on AI for all the answers. Heaven noted how important it is for teenagers to "hold fast" to their "authentic voice," and that "the magic is in the creativity" that comes directly from the kids themselves "And I think that maybe just raising their awareness of what's not good, having more conversations around the dinner table is what I see as one of the mechanisms to get our children through," she added.

Kids embrace genAI for homework help, per new Common Sense Media report

The big picture: Teens and their parents exhibit a disconnect in their understanding of AI use and its potential outcomes. State of play: Black and Latino teens are more likely than white teens to engage in a wider variety of activities with generative AI. The other side: Parents of Black teens reported higher optimism regarding the impacts of generative AI on learning, skill acquisition and inequality in education, the survey found. Reality check: Most parents don't know about their kids' AI use, according to the report. The intrigue: Students who have had classroom conversations about AI have more nuanced views about its pros and cons, the report said. Go deeper: Exclusive: Chatbots pose unique risks to teens Methodology: The nationally representative survey includes responses from 1,045 adults who are parents or guardians of one or more teens aged 13 to 18 and responses from 1,045 teens.

Kids, once again, leap ahead of parents in new era of AI tech

Why it matters: Efforts to keep kids safe from potentially harmful or dangerous technology regularly falter because adults don't understand what youngsters are actually doing. Case in point: Many teens use generative AI tools like ChatGPT, but less than half (37%) of their parents think they do, according to a report out Tuesday from Common Sense Media. The big picture: Legislators, educators and parents today are still struggling to place appropriate boundaries around young people's use of social media, which has been at the center of many teen lives for nearly two decades. State of play: GenAI is creating a brand new knowledge gap between teens and adults. Flashback: Since the advent of the personal computer, parents have misunderstood their kids' tech use -- and also misinterpreted the dangers. Zoom out: The arrival of every new wave of technology and media -- from the internet back to television, and from movies back to the rise of the novel -- has triggered a "moral panic" among experts and elders. Big tech companies are well aware of the challenges parents have keeping up with kids. The bottom line: Since teens are going to use genAI no matter what, the adults around them need to understand and educate themselves and their kids about the technology's flaws and biases.