Survey: Teens proving savvy about AI

(CN) — In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, American teenagers have embraced chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot and Character.ai into their daily lives with a mix of enthusiasm, practicality and wariness, according to a Pew Research Center report released Tuesday.

Drawing from a survey of 1,458 teens aged 13 to 17 and their parents conducted in fall 2025, the researchers found a majority of teens (64%) reported using AI chatbots, with about 3 in 10 doing so daily. Their primary motivations are utilitarian — 57% seek information, 54% get schoolwork help, and 47% use chatbots for fun. Other common uses include summarizing content (42%) and creating/editing images or videos (38%). Less frequently, teens turn to chatbots for news (19%), casual chats (16%), or emotional support (12%).

That final point sparked concern among parents surveyed, yet researchers found a majority of teens avoid more personal interactions with AI. Coincidentally, the report came out amid a landmark trial ongoing against social media companies for causing addiction and mental health problems in youth.

But Senior Pew Researcher Colleen McClain, an author of the study, said the most revealing results of the survey concerned how AI is incorporated into education, as schoolwork is a flashpoint where AI’s influence is viewed as both helpful and contentious. 

“There are a lot of very important conversations happening right now about the potential harms of AI, potentially benefits of AI, and with our line of work on teens and tech, we really want to bring teens themselves to the forefront,” McClain said by phone Tuesday. “One striking finding from our work is … we find that more teens actually think AI will be good for them personally in the long run than bad.”

But the report also revealed teens are more optimistic about AI’s personal impact than its societal one. Over the next 20 years, 36% expect a positive effect on themselves, compared to 15% anticipating negativity. For society at large, 31% expressed a positive outlook versus 26% negative. 

In open-ended responses, teens who view AI positively most often cited efficiency (30%), better learning (20%), and productivity (19%), envisioning AI as a “force multiplier” for accuracy and ease. More skeptical teens expressed concerns about overreliance on AI eroding critical thinking (34%), leading to job loss (25%), spreading misinformation (13%), and being abused (13%), fearing it could “destroy young people’s minds” or turn against humanity.

“We really see that teens are thinking about the pros and cons of AI in a very nuanced way,” McClain said of the results. 

Just over half of teens have used chatbots for academic aid, with 48% researching topics, 43% solving math problems, and 35% editing or writing. Just 10% of students use AI tools to handle all or most assignments, while 21% use them occasionally and 23% rarely. 

Meanwhile, teens overwhelmingly view chatbots as beneficial in education — 51% versus just 3% who see them as unhelpful. Also, perceptions of cheating loom large: 59% of students believe their peers use AI to cheat at least sometimes, including 34% who say it’s very or extremely often. Teens who’ve used chatbots for school are particularly attuned to this, with 76% perceiving it as common.

“We knew we wanted to cover a range of ways that teens may be using AI in their schoolwork, and also understand the broader context,” McClain explained. “We know that cheating is part of the conversation more broadly and as teachers and educators are moving to craft AI policies, they are really working through an environment that is changing quite rapidly. So in this context, we wanted to ask teens what they see happening.”

Black and Hispanic teens use chatbots more overall and for school — around 60% versus 49% for white teens — summarizing content, creating media, and even emotional support. Teens from households under $75,000 annually are twice as likely (around 20%) to rely heavily on AI for schoolwork compared to those from wealthier homes (7%). 

Parents’ perspectives offer a counterpoint, revealing a generational awareness gap. While 51% believe their teen uses chatbots, teens self-report a 64% usage rate, and 31% of parents are unsure. Over half (53%) discuss AI with their child, but 39% do not. Acceptance varies by use: 80% are OK with information-seeking, 74% with school help, but only 25% approve of emotional support. 

The study is the latest in a series of surveys Pew has conducted on teens and tech. McClain said as research continues, Pew will be interested in tracking which AI uses become more or less acceptable to both teens and their parents.

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