How kids feel about AI, in their own words

The article reports on interviews with kids aged 10 to 18 about their experiences with AI. The authors expected to hear about cheating or inspiring uses, as well as concerns like deepfakes and job loss, but instead found widespread indifference or resistance, with many kids responding 'bruh' or 'meh,' and some refusing to discuss AI at all.

Specific teens voiced varied objections: one said peers use AI for things they know they shouldn't, like writing papers; another avoids AI due to its environmental impact; and Winter, 17, said 'AI isn’t the solution to our problems' and feared it would end creativity and critical thinking. Nevertheless, most admitted using AI at least a little, though younger kids aren't asking for it the way they ask for phones or Snapchat. Their first encounters often came through parents, schools, or built-in features like Google search.

The piece cites a February 2026 Pew Research Center survey: 57% of US teens had used chatbots for information, 54% for schoolwork, 47% for fun/entertainment, and only 12% for emotional support or advice—teens are more than four times as likely to use AI in innocuous ways than harmful ones. Some are even creating with it, building characters, platforms, or tutoring tools.

The authors acknowledge real dangers—unfiltered content, over-reliance on chatbots, wrong answers—but argue the danger is a reason to teach AI, not avoid it, similar to teaching teens to check blind spots while driving. They were most surprised that kids who use AI can clearly articulate what they will and won't hand over to it, and that most want to keep control, worrying more about societal impact than job loss.