Overview
- A nationally representative survey released August 18, 2026 by the Youth AI Safety Institute at Common Sense Media found that 70% of U.S. teens ages 13–17 use AI tools for schoolwork.
- Among teen AI users, 63% say they ask AI for answers rather than work toward them themselves and then either use the output as-is (25%), rewrite it (31%), or improve it with their own knowledge (35%).
- Most teens treat AI as a support tool—77% use it for brainstorming, checking work, or getting feedback—but 38% say AI stops them from having their own ideas and 39% say it makes them miss learning on assignments.
- Only about 30% of teens report any teacher discussion of safe or accurate AI use, and school network blocks are often ineffective because 44% experienced blocks and 59% of those students switched to personal devices.
- Experts warn the gap in instruction leaves students exposed to new harms such as the growing creation and sharing of nude deepfakes, and Common Sense Media has launched a free Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum to help teachers address these risks.