Nearly 90% of Children are Using AI. Are we prepared for what this means?

Keeping up with the advances in modern technology can sometimes feel like an impossible task. We hadn't even finished celebrating Meta's historic multibillion-dollar settlement and its commitment to limit minors' access to its products, when a new headline arrived: growing concern about the risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence.

It's a theme we've long seen explored on screen — in films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, and more recently in The Mitchells vs. the Machines or the series Westworld— and it's now prompting real-world conversation.

Experts have long warned about the harms of social media and AI-powered chatbots. While the former has hijacked our attention, the latter threatens our most intimate relationships.

When we talk about AI companions (the new generation of chatbots), we're talking about technology that pretends to be human, mimicking feelings, opinions and its very own thoughts. By playing the role of friends, mentors, therapists or romantic partners, it can prevent children from seeking professional help or medical care when they need it.

The mental health crisis, isolation and cognitive decline are well documented.

According to a new nationwide survey conducted by Common Sense Media's Youth AI Safety Institute, nearly 9 out of 10 children use AI. This means that nearly all preteens and teens interact with AI, either because they have sought it out or simply because they have encountered it in their search results or in the apps that they already use.

Children use AI primarily for fun or entertainment (89%) and for school (85%). Three out of four use it to create things, such as images, videos, music, stories and apps. And, signs of AI dependence are already emerging. One in five children who use AI say it would be very difficult for them to go a month without it.

True learning requires effort, mistakes and navigating uncertainty with others. These are experiences that AI cannot provide.

A recent MIT study found that study groups at the university were disappearing. Faculty office hours were becoming increasingly less busy, while assignments were being completed by chatbots. The report from this prestigious university calls this "cognitive surrender".

Giving up is not an option. It wasn't for the family of 13-year-old Olivia "Livi" Castro or for Megan García, whose son took his own life at age 14 after forming a romantic "relationship" with a chatbot. These Hispanic families were among the first parents to sound the alarm and to succeed in bringing tech companies to the stand to hold them accountable for a predatory and addictive design, knowing full well the harm it caused to children.

Our reports are clear: "Safety measures are scarce or nonexistent." In schools, there's more talk about rules than about safety. Three-quarters of children say their school has discussed what they can and cannot use AI for, but just slightly more than half have learned how to use it safely."

Just as with social media, the debate is once again lagging behind technology. Nearly half of children surveyed have never talked to their parents about AI safety. Parents and caregivers deserve to have a clear understanding of how AI is integrated into their children's lives; this is where we need to make a difference.

To begin, you do not need to be a tech expert, but you do need to understand how these technologies work. Common Sense Media offers guides for parents with everything you need to know, explained simply, in Spanish.

Here are some of my favorite tips:

👉 Keep an open line of communication with your children. Talk about the risks associated with these technologies.

👉 Delay smartphone use as long as possible. Experts recommend waiting until eighth grade.

👉 Create a contract about responsible cell phone use that includes consequences, and enforce it.

👉 Check the security settings and use parental controls.

👉 Set aside screen-free times and spaces.

👉 Encourage real-life friendships through playdates and activities.

👉 Don't share personal information with chatbots.

👉 And above all, set an example of healthy technology boundaries.

If you would like to do more, however, please join our advocacy campaigns by calling on your lawmakers to push for regulations in this area. We can't do it alone but, if we come together, we can make a difference.