Artificial Intelligence implications for children and young people

AI is predicted to be one of the largest disruptive changes we will experience in our lifetimes. And while AI can potentially provide enormous benefits, without the widespread adoption of responsible AI practices, it is equally capable of causing harm. We learned that lesson the hard way with social media and the negative impact it can have on childrens' mental and physical health.

As we move through 2024, with half the world going to the polls, it shines a spotlight on the potential for AI to influence societal perceptions and shape the future.

While these powerful technologies are not new, the sudden explosion of AI in our lives has brought with it more questions than answers. What exactly is this technology? What can it do? What can't it do? And, importantly, what should or shouldn't it do? Undoubtedly AI offers many benefits with its ability to analyse huge amounts of data within seconds, it holds the potential to make generational advances in for example medicine. But it is important to consider its limitations and ensuring that our future generations are equipped to use the technology responsibly will be critical.

What is AI?

AI comes in several forms, from simple automation to social intelligence. Algorithms control what ads we see online, the movement of self-driving cars, and those bots that pop up to answer questions when we're shopping online. With chatbots being programmed in a way that allows easier conversational rhythm, we are also seeing 'companion' AI chatbots stand in as friends in the very places that young people are seeking connection.

'Generative AI' refers to a type of machine learning model that can generate new data (including, but not limited to, text, images, video, and audio) based on the patterns and structures learned from large sets of existing data.

Recent Common Sense Education research

Our recent research report, 'Teen and Young Adult Perspectives on Generative AI: Patterns of Use, Excitements, and Concerns', examines generative AI use by race and ethnicity, age, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity, and shares new findings on how different demographic groups perceive and interact with generative AI technology in the US.

Some data highlights:

Half (51%) of young people age 14–22 have used generative AI at some point in their lives; however, only 4% reported being daily users. And 8% of young people have never heard of generative AI.
Young people are excited about generative AI's potential for increased efficiency at school and work, enhanced creativity, and opportunities for accessing information. They are concerned about the potential for generative AI to lead to job loss, theft of intellectual property and personal data, misinformation. and AI 'taking over'.

AI concerns

As technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, it's understandable that we're uneasy about actual and anticipated challenges. Here are some current concerns:

Misuse - deepfakes are pictures, videos, and audio files that look or sound like someone you know (a celebrity, a political figure, or even a family member). This can also include nude images or pornographic videos generated with AI and without a person's consent. Children are already using so-called "nudifying" apps to generate nude images of classmates.
Biases and misinformation - AI can only learn from its source(s), so it takes on the biases, misinformation, and problematic content of the original material. And if the team of developers isn't representative, it's almost guaranteed that implicit bias will be woven into the framework of the tool, as facial recognition has illustrated.
Ethics - because AI tools scrape content from a wide variety of sources, the material produced is a mixture of many other people's work, and there's often no consistent or complete credit for creators. Already, learners are handing in AI-generated essays as their own. Plus, data privacy is a murky and multi-layered issue when it comes to generative AI.
Environmental impacts - generative AI requires an enormous amount of energy and other resources, including fresh water as a cooling mechanism. In an age when we already have many climate concerns, the growing use of AI only adds to these issues.

So what can be done to help kids think critically about AI technologies?

We need to better understand AI's full potential

There are some amazing opportunities for generative AI tools to transform learning for children, families, and educators - but these opportunities (while developing quickly) are mostly nascent and unproven.

We need to mitigate the risks posed by AI

Unlike these potential opportunities, the risks of AI tools for children and schools are very real and are already playing out in communities across Wales and beyond.

We need to ensure the responsible use of AI

Parents and teachers need to ask critical questions about AI tools before using them with children to ensure that the tools are safe and designed with desirable learning outcomes in mind. Here are 5 Tips for Talking to Your Children About Generative AI.

The Common Sense approach: our AI Literacy Initiative

Common Sense is committed to creating clarity, trust, and understanding through our AI initiatives - including AI product ratings and reviews, AI literacy curricula, original research, and more.

New, free, AI Literacy lessons for learners in Wales

In partnership with the Welsh Government we have updated a series of brand new AI literacy resources from Common Sense Education. These new lesson activities, for children in year 7 and up, are available now on Hwb in Welsh and English.

Supporting Families

You can support the children in your classroom by also engaging their parents with ways to explore the latest technologies with their young people, and guide them to use new tools responsibly - check out our parent guide 'Helping Kids Navigate the World of Artificial Intelligence'.

New technologies such as generative AI introduce new risks and opportunities for young people, and many of us feel unprepared to support them, however we do not necessarily need to take an entirely new approach. Teaching digital citizenship teaches the core concepts, skills and dispositions needed to thrive in our digital world, and is still the foundation to helping children thrive as consumers, creators, learners and citizens.

Jenna Khanna, Director of Education and Partnerships, Common Sense Media UK

Jenna manages partnerships , education content and distribution strategy, and joined Common Sense UK in 2019.

Jenna started her career in the UK’s FMCG sector, and over 15 years has held leadership roles at global blue chip companies including Coca Cola and Mars. As a consultant, she advised food and beverage start-ups and SMEs on distribution, customer management, business planning, and product development. Jenna loves to travel and brings a global perspective to her work, having travelled extensively in India as Producer for a luxury travel & food documentary series, and co-authored a cookery book in the UAE.

Jenna is based in London but is passionate about advocating for the needs of children and young people across the UK, including the needs of Welsh language speakers. She holds a BA (Hons) in Language and Communication from Cardiff University of Wales.