What Kids & Families Think About AI | Conversations with Common Sense Media

Why It Matters

Understanding families’ nuanced views on AI informs education policy and industry practices, ensuring that AI tools support rather than undermine youth creativity, critical thinking, and future employability.

Key Takeaways

• Parents and teens share anxiety about AI's job impact.
• Both groups worry about privacy and data misuse risks.
• Teens view AI as brainstorming aid; parents underestimate usage.
• Parents deem AI for schoolwork unethical, teens see it innovative.
• Need for AI literacy to balance creativity, critical thinking, agency.

Summary

In this episode of Conversations with Common Sense Media, Michael Rob and pollster Kristen Sult Anderson unpack new research on how American families and teens perceive artificial intelligence. The study, conducted with Echelon Insights and Lake Research Partners, probes attitudes across generations, political spectrums, and age groups, revealing both shared anxieties and surprising divergences. The data show that parents and teens alike fear AI’s impact on future employment and are uneasy about privacy and data‑misuse. While 75% of respondents express concern over deep‑fakes and scams, 83% of both groups stress the importance of teaching critical thinking. Teens report using AI for brainstorming and see it as an innovative learning tool, whereas parents often underestimate this usage and view AI‑assisted schoolwork as unethical. Kristen highlighted striking statistics: more than 60% of parents consider AI‑generated homework unethical, yet 52% of teens label the same practice innovative. Even as parents balk, over 60% would allow AI to enhance college or job applications. The conversation also surfaced a generational gap in interpreting terms like “brainstorming,” underscoring the need for a common language around AI literacy. The findings signal an urgent call for educators, policymakers, and families to develop clear, responsible AI literacy curricula. By defining meaningful, ethical use and fostering agency, stakeholders can help young people harness AI’s creative potential without eroding critical thinking or creativity.

Original Description

Do kids and parents see eye to eye on AI? On our next Conversations with Common Sense Media, we dive into new research on attitudes about AI. Do parents and kids think AI dampens creativity and critical thinking? How concerned is each generation about personal data privacy? And will today’s kids be able to function without AI in the future? Their answers may surprise you.

Join Mike Robb, Eisha Buch and Kristen Soltis Anderson from Echelon Insights to explore Generation AI.