Common Sense Media Releases Inaugural Annual Study on AI Use by Tweens and Teens

SAN FRANCISCO, June 8, 2026—Common Sense Media today released its Common Sense Media Census: AI Use by Tweens and Teens (2026), which surveyed 1,204 children age 9 to 17 on how, why, and how often they use AI. The survey found that while an overwhelming 86 percent of children use AI, and nearly a quarter do so every day, more than 4 in 10 kids say no parent or guardian has ever talked with them about AI safety.

The report, published by the new Common Sense Media Youth AI Safety Institute, offers the most comprehensive look at how a generation of kids uses a technology that continues to evolve rapidly. While well over 8 in 10 kids who use AI use it for entertainment and homework help, the survey reveals a more complicated, and at times troubling, picture beneath that headline. More than half of kids who use AI have turned to it for advice about their health or body, and over one in three AI users have used it to discuss their feelings or personal problems. One in six kids who have used AI chatbots have seen inappropriate material, and only one-third told a trusted adult.

"AI is the most powerful and fastest-moving technology of our time, and the guardrails simply haven't caught up," said Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer. "Our children are taking some of their most personal questions to chatbots that aren't designed with their safety in mind, and many are doing so without talking to a parent or teacher about how these products work."

The report also surfaces troubling associations between more frequent AI use and well-being. Kids who use AI daily or weekly are more likely than infrequent or non-users to report feeling lonely. Among kids who have used AI to discuss feelings or personal problems, a quarter say they sometimes feel AI understands them better than most people. These patterns warrant urgent attention from parents, caregivers, educators, and policymakers.

The survey's other key findings include:

• Signs of AI dependency are emerging. One in five kids who use AI say it would be hard to go a month without it.
• Kids who find homework harder lean on AI more. More than half of kids who have a hard time staying focused on school assignments use AI for schoolwork at least weekly.
• Schools are talking about rules more than safety. Three-quarters of kids say their school has discussed what they can and cannot use AI for, but just over half have been taught how to use AI safely.
• Kids overestimate what AI can do. Only a third know AI cannot reliably distinguish fact from fiction.
• Kids themselves have differing views on AI. Only a quarter think AI will positively impact their lives in the next few years and in adulthood; most think the technology's impact will be mixed.

Taken together, the findings reveal a generation already deeply engaged with AI but largely on its own in figuring out how to use it responsibly. Kids are turning to AI for unsafe purposes, often without the AI literacy education they need.

As Common Sense Media's first census on youth AI use, this research will anchor future tracking of how the technology is shaping childhood. The full report can be found here.

About Common Sense Media and the Common Sense Media Youth AI Safety Institute

Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year.

The Common Sense Media Youth AI Safety Institute is a first-of-its-kind research and testing organization dedicated to ensuring the AI that children use is safe and developmentally appropriate. It sets safety standards, independently tests AI products, and disseminates the results.