A recent report by Pew Research shows that a majority of teens use AI on a regular basis, with most usage going towards schoolwork and research. The survey was conducted last fall, questioning teens aged 13-17.

According to the data, 57% of teens use AI to search for information, and 54% use it for help with their schoolwork. Close to half (47%) use AI for entertainment, and 42% use it to summarize a book, movie, or video. When asked how they use a chatbot for school, 48% said for researching a topic, 43% for help with a math problem, and 35% for editing their writing. Approximately two-thirds of teens think that their peers use AI for cheating in school. A smaller percentage of students report using AI for companionship (16%) and for emotional support (12%), causing concern among parents, educators, and policy analysts.

“AI systems, however sophisticated, do not mentor. They do not model character or share hard-won experience. They produce responses based on data without a consistent moral framework,” observes Robert Maginnis of the Family Research Council. When teens were questioned whether they think AI will have a positive or negative effect on their futures, 36% believe it will have a positive effect, 15% a negative, and 32% believe both positive and negative. Teens believe the positive effects will include ease of getting information and making life easier, while the negative effects could include loss of creativity and critical thinking, and also loss of jobs. Maginnis points out that “the question before us is not whether our children will grow up alongside AI—they already are. The question is whether we intend to raise thinkers or whether we will drift into raising people who have simply learned to prompt.”