Children Around The World Use AI Almost Daily

How are kids tapping into AI?

3/7/2024

AI On Children’s Lives

Children Around The World Use AI Almost Daily

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both in terms of the number of products available on the market and their use by consumers. It is clear there are advantages to the use of AI, but there is still so much that is not yet known about these tools.

Children using AI are potentially exposing themselves to new risks of harm online, and their lives may be reshaped more fundamentally by them in the future. Given its recent emergence, it is unsurprising that the actual impact of AI on children’s lives is still not fully understood. Ofcom tracks children’s online and media usage, and have found that 59% of 7-17 year old and 79% of 13-17 year old internet users in the UK have used a generative AI tool in the last year.

As child health experts at UNICEF have pointed out, kids around the world use AI almost daily. Most interactive toys, games and internet platforms made for children depend on AI technology. Even though AI is advancing faster than anyone expected, most nations have not considered how AI will affect the social and emotional well-being of children.

Much more research is needed, but early studies on AI and kids point to several concerns:

Young children may share personal information with AI platforms. Studies show that little ones often chat with smart speakers, telling personal stories and disclosing details that grownups might consider private.
They may assume AI platforms are a lot like people. One study found that kids between 3 and 6 years old believed that smart speakers had thoughts, feelings and social abilities. Only a few kids assumed the speakers were actually human. This could affect how kids learn to interact with others.

What are the benefits of AI for kids and families?
There are many ways AI technology can help kids learn and grow.

It's a valuable tool for learning. AI can be used to tailor lessons and learning experiences to the individual needs of young children and teens. It can help educators and parents find ways to enrich learning for kids of all abilities at different stages of growth and development. And while it's not a good substitute for live conversation, it can help children improve their language skills and even learn new languages.
It can foster creativity. We live in a visual world, so kids need ways to express their ideas through photos, images, graphs and more. AI is not only valuable to budding artists, but also kids who want to create data displays, charts, simple cartoons and other visuals.

What are potential dangers of AI for our kids?
For all the promise they hold, AI platforms can also harm children and families.

They can spread hate, bias and stereotypes. Because AI "learns" from everything it finds on the internet, AI platforms reflect the same prejudices that threaten to divide and alienate us. Extensive studies show that AI-generated content advances stereotypes and falsehoods. Adults must be ready to talk with kids about what they see online and how it might reinforce negative beliefs and actions.
They can be used for bullying and fraud. Generative AI can be used to create false or distorted images of your child or teen, or someone they know. One example: the fake nudes that have been used to attack and shame many teens. Deepfakes and voice cloning can be used to threaten kids into taking actions they ordinarily would never consider, like giving private information or sending money.

We are yet to understand the true impact of these tools on children’s lives. However, I consider that AI demonstrates the problem of emerging technologies that are not fully covered by the existing regulatory regime and how children can suffer as a result.