How Teens Use and View AI
Source: Pew Research Center
Author: Pew Research Center
Original source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai
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Summary
Pew Research Center reports findings from a nationally representative online survey of 1,458 U.S. teens ages 13–17 and their parents, conducted Sept. 25–Oct. 9, 2025. A majority of teens use AI chatbots, with information seeking and schoolwork among the most common uses. More than half have used chatbots to search for information or get help with schoolwork, and one in ten say chatbots help with all or most of their schoolwork. Teens generally find chatbots helpful for school tasks, but many also perceive AI-enabled cheating as common and express concerns about overreliance, critical thinking, creativity, jobs, misinformation, misuse, and environmental impacts.
Big ideas
- AI literacy has to be taught inside real subjects
- Students need to check AI answers against real evidence
- Learning still needs some struggle, even when AI can make things easier
- AI-era media literacy needs resilience, not just fact-checking
- AI access tiers can widen educational inequity
Claims
- Teen AI use is already normal enough for schools to plan around it
- AI literacy takes system capacity, not just tool access
- AI-assisted homework requires redesign, not just policing
- AI can undermine learning when students use it without guidance
- Student AI misuse may signal pressure or unclear purpose
Key evidence and examples
- Pew surveyed 1,458 U.S. teens and their parents online, with findings representing U.S. teens ages 13–17.
- 64% of teens report using AI chatbots, 57% have used them to search for information, and 54% have used them for schoolwork help.
- 10% say they do all or most of their schoolwork with chatbot help, while 21% use chatbots for some schoolwork and 23% for a little.
- 59% think AI cheating is a regular occurrence at their school; among schoolwork chatbot users, 76% say students use chatbots to cheat at least sometimes.
Education relevance
Extremely relevant as empirical grounding for AI policy, AI literacy curricula, assessment redesign, academic integrity, youth digital life, and parent-school communication.