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A new report, by Common Sense, highlights a growing trend among teenagers: generative AI is becoming an integral part of their daily lives. The survey, conducted from March 15 to April 20, 2024, polled a nationally representative sample of 1,045 U.S. adult parents and 1,045 U.S. teens, ages 13 to 18. Teen respondents were invited to participate through their parents, resulting in 1,045 parent-teen dyad interviews.
According to the findings, 70% of teens say they have used at least one type of generative AI tool. These tools tend to fall into four categories:
- Chatbots/text generators: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Snap’s My AI
- Image generators: DALL-E, Bing Image Creator, Photoshop with gen AI features
- Video generators: Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Google VideoPoet
- Search engines with AI-generated results: Bing, Google SGE, Brave Summarizer
Out of these categories, search engines are used the most (56%), followed by chatbots (51%), image generators (34%), and video generators (22%). Generative AI is not just a tool for entertainment; teens are using it for various purposes, with the top three uses including homework help (53%), fighting boredom (42%), and language translation (41%).
A key issue raised by the report is that parents often don’t know their teens are using AI. Among parents whose teens admitted to using AI, only 37% were aware of this activity. One in four of parents believed their teens weren’t using AI at all, and 39% were unsure.
The disconnect extends to schools as well. Only 7% of teens reported that their teachers “mostly allow” students to use gen AI. While 42% said teachers “mostly do not allow” it, 23% were unsure of their teacher’s stance, and 27% said teachers haven’t mentioned AI at all. The fact that AI is most often used for homework help while only a small number of teenagers indicate that their teachers permit its use highlights a disconnect between how teens engage with technology and teachers’ understanding or acceptance of it.
One clear takeaway from the report is that teens are outpacing both their parents and schools in adopting generative AI. While this isn’t entirely new—teenagers are often ahead of the curve when it comes to technology—the stakes are higher now. The rapid advancement of AI means that teens are experimenting with tools that can significantly impact their education and personal development.
To ensure that generative AI is used responsibly and effectively, schools and parents must develop clear policies, communicate effectively, and provide ongoing education.
Full report here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2024-the-dawn-of-the-ai-era_final-release-for-web.pdf
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