A new survey shows that most US teens use generative AI. However, educators and most parents are struggling to keep up with that usage.

An article on Wired (Most US Teens Use Generative AI. Most of Their Parents Don’t Know, written by Kate Knibbs and available here), discusses that 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. Not only that, but another 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.

The best practices for using AI and avoiding its misuse in the future starts with educating kids today. Parents need to have these discussions with their kids and check up on how they use technology, including generative AI. They can’t learn from our mistakes unless we continue to keep the dialogue open with them.

When I was a kid, there was a public service announcement that used to appear on the TV right before the news (in the Central time zone) that said: “It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” Back then, the implication was that if they weren’t at home, that might mean trouble. Today, the answer is often “in their room, on their mobile device”. In a household where parents aren’t having discussions with their children about the use of AI and other technology, my response to that is “Ruh-roh!”

So, what do you think? Are you surprised that most teens use generative AI and many parents don’t seem to know it? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

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