The rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked widespread concern about their potential impacts on young people. As these tools become more common in schools and homes, parents and teachers are looking for guidance on how to use them safely and responsibly. Policymakers and the companies that create these tools also need clear advice on how to ensure AI is designed for and used ethically with young people. To help answer these questions, we conducted a nationally representative study involving parents, teachers, and teenagers across the United States. We wanted to understand how they feel about AI, how they use it, and what their experiences are. Our research provides new insights into how both teens and adults view and interact with AI. Our researchers found:
- Almost half (45%) of teens reported using AI tools like ChatGPT recently, while more specialized tools, such as image generators and mental health chatbots, were less commonly used (10-28%). However, relatively few teens (17%) reported using AI tools frequently in their daily routines.
- Few teens reported negative academic and social impacts resulting from their use of generative AI, such as getting into trouble at school or conflicts with parents or peers (< 6%). Most teens (69%) reported that generative AI had helped them learn something new.
- AI experiences, supports, and perceived impacts did not vary widely across teens from lower versus higher socioeconomic backgrounds, suggesting that, at present, AI may not be significantly widening existing inequalities in these areas.
- Parents expressed mixed feelings about AI in education, with many highlighting its potential to enhance learning while expressing concerns about potential impacts on how their teens think, make decisions, and interact with others.
- Parents, teachers, and teens preferred learning tools that involved human versus AI teachers, emphasizing the importance of teacher-student interactions and concerns about over-reliance on AI for instruction.
Project Team
Candice Odgers, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development of Social Ecology and Professor of Psychological Science and Informatics, University of California, Irvine Gillian Hayes, Kleist Professor of Informatics, Vice Provost of Academic Personnel, University of California, Irvine Kelli Dickerson, Director of Research – CERES, University of California, Irvine Jennifer Rubin, Senior Researcher, foundry10 Aehong Min, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Irvine Ella Lombard, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, foundry10 Katharine Chen, Assistant Researcher, foundry10 Riddhi Divanji, M.S., Associate Researcher, foundry10 Emani Dotch, Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Irvine Sohyeon Park, Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Irvine Ariel Han, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Southern CaliforniaSample Publications
- NSF Award: 2334172: Understanding Perceptions and Use of AI in K-12 Education Using a Nationally Representative Sample
- Rubin et al. 2025. White Paper. Navigating AI as a Family: Caregivers’ Perspectives and Strategies. [link]
- Dickerson et al. under review. The Digital Divide and Artificial Intelligence: Evidence from Two Adolescent Samples. [link]
- Min et al. revise and resubmit. Perceptions of AI-Driven EdTech: Nationwide Survey and Focus Group Insights from Key End Users. CHI 2025 Conference Proceedings [link]