Is AI helping or hurting children's education?

A January 2026 report from the Brookings Institution's Center for Universal Education found that the risks of generative AI in schools currently outweigh the benefits. While AI can personalize learning and support students with disabilities, it also weakens critical thinking, reduces independent problem-solving, and creates dependency on technology.

How many children are using AI?

AI use among students is nearly universal. A 2025 survey found that 91% of American teens ages 13-17 have used generative AI in their personal lives. In Australia, 94% of 14- to 17-year-olds reported using a generative AI tool. A UK survey found 77% of teens admitted to using AI to complete homework.

Does AI make children less able to think critically?

Research suggests it can. The Brookings report found that AI tools can displace cognitive effort by outsourcing thinking. Students who use AI to generate answers, summarize information, and write essays are practicing retrieval from a machine rather than building their own knowledge and reasoning skills.

What are the privacy risks of AI in schools?

AI tools used in schools often require access to sensitive student data to function. This creates risks of data breaches, inappropriate data use, and long-term surveillance of children. Most commercial AI platforms were not built with dedicated privacy protections for minors.

Should schools ban AI?

Restore Childhood's position is that children need a strong classical education and AI literacy. AI is a powerful tool, but children must first develop the foundational skills of reading, writing, reasoning, and critical thinking before they can use AI responsibly.

Are children forming relationships with AI?

Yes. The Brookings study found that 1 in 5 high school students has had a romantic AI relationship or knows someone who has. This highlights how deeply AI is integrated into teenagers' social and emotional lives, often without oversight from parents or educators.

Children and AI in Schools: What Parents Need to Know | Restore Childhood

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RESTORE CHILDHOOD is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) (EIN 88-1595851). We tell the truth about what happens to children, and we pass on the freedom and opportunity that are theirs to inherit. Our work is for everyone who cares about children.

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