Study zeroes in on AI's youngest users
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Nearly 30% of parents of kids ages 0-8 say their children have used AI for learning, according to new research from Common Sense Media.
Why it matters: Even the youngest of children are experimenting with a rapidly changing technology that could reshape their learning and critical thinking skills in unknown ways.
By the numbers: One in four parents of kids ages 0-8 told Common Sense their children are learning critical thinking skills from using AI.
- 39% of parents said their kids use AI to "learn about school-related material," while only 8% said they use AI to "learn about AI."
- For older children (ages 5-8) nearly 40% of parents said their child has used an app or a device with AI to learn.
- 24% of children use AI for "creative content," like writing short stories or making art, according to their parents.
- Common Sense surveyed 1,578 parents of children 8 years old or younger last August.
Yes, but: Many parents said they didn't see a problem with their kids' AI use.
- More than half (61%) of parents of kids ages 0-8 said their kids' use of AI had no impact on their critical thinking skills.
- 60% said there was no impact on their child's well-being.
- 20% said the impact on their child's creativity was "mostly positive."
"The big findings around AI were really the most notable for older kids (ages 5-8)," Supreet Mann, director of research at Common Sense Media, told Axios.
- There were some parents of kids younger than 5 who reported that their children had used AI for learning and in other contexts, but "it's a pretty small percentage of the overall population," Mann said.
Reality check: You're supposed to be 13 or older to use OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Meta AI. To use Anthropic's Claude, you're supposed to be 18 or older.
What they're saying: "Our youngest children are on the front lines of an unprecedented digital transformation," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense.
- "Addressing the impact of AI on the next generation is one of the most pressing issues of our time," Miriam Vogel, CEO of EqualAI, told Axios in an email. "Yet we are insufficiently developing effective approaches to equip young people for a world where they are both using and profoundly affected by AI."
- EqualAI just launched a new AI Literacy Initiative to help people navigate AI technologies in their professional and personal lives.
Between the lines: This is the fifth year that Common Sense Media has released its report on media use for kids ages 0-8, but the first time the report has covered AI.
- Hours of screen time per day for kids 0-8 remained stable, but children are watching less live television and cable and more short videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
- On average, kids 0-8 spent 14 minutes a day watching short-form videos, according to their parents.
