Survey and interviews reveal nuanced teen attitudes toward AI use and risks

A qualitative study by MIT Technology Review, based on interviews with teens aged 10 to 18 and data from a February 2026 Pew Research Center survey, finds that most teens use AI casually for schoolwork, information searches, or entertainment rather than for high-stakes tasks like emotional support or cheating.

The Pew survey of US teens reported that 57% had used chatbots to search for information, 54% to help with schoolwork, and 47% for fun or entertainment, while only 12% had used them for emotional support or advice. Teens were over four times more likely to use AI in innocuous ways than potentially harmful ones.

Interviews revealed a spectrum of attitudes: some teens avoid AI due to environmental concerns or skepticism about its benefits, while others use it to build projects, tutor peers, or explore programming. One 16-year-old from New York described using AI tools like Claude for programming outside school but criticized its limitations in structured school assignments, noting that in-class writing restrictions had been tightened to prevent cheating.

Teens expressed stronger concerns about AI’s societal risks—such as misinformation, bias, and the erosion of critical thinking—than about job displacement. An 18-year-old engineering student highlighted the dual-use nature of AI, emphasizing that its impact depends on how people use it, and cited examples of AI aiding personalized education and medical diagnostics.

One project highlighted was Next Voters, a system that uses multiple AI agents to summarize and verify local government documents, aiming to reduce barriers to democratic participation by making policy information more accessible. The project’s creator noted gaps in teen engagement with current events and concerns about misinformation on social media.

The article argues for AI literacy and guardrails rather than avoidance, comparing the approach to driver education: teens are taught to manage risks rather than forbidden from driving. It also notes that many teens’ first encounters with AI come through parents or schools, often embedded in tools they already use.

Despite varied levels of enthusiasm, most teens reported using AI at least a little, though elementary- and middle-school-age kids showed less focus on it. Many described AI as embedded in everyday tools like Google search, with some expressing indifference or skepticism about its current applications.