Research Reveals Teens' Distrust In Tech Companies and AI-Generated Content

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29, 2025—Common Sense Media released research today that reveals a trust gap between teens and technology companies. The research brief, "Teens, Trust, and Technology in the Age of AI," based on a nationally representative survey of 1,045 teens age 13–18, finds that nearly two-thirds of teens (64%) say tech companies cannot be trusted to care about their well-being, and 62% doubt that companies will put user safety before profits.

What makes this research brief particularly significant is the data that captures crucial insights for parents, educators, and policymakers as we work to shape and understand healthy technology consumption and use while protecting the well-being of our young people.

Additional key findings include:

• Over half of teens surveyed report that they have low levels of trust in major technology companies to make ethical and responsible design decisions (53%), keep teens' personal information secure (52%), or be inclusive and fair when considering the needs of different users (51%).
• Nearly half (47%) of teens have little to no trust that tech companies will make responsible decisions about how they use AI in their products.
• Nearly four in 10 teens (39%) who have used generative AI for schoolwork have found inaccuracies in an AI output.
• About seven in 10 of teens support privacy safeguards and transparency measures for AI systems.
• 73% want AI-generated content to be clearly labeled or watermarked.

"America's young people are clearly skeptical of tech companies and don't trust them to protect their well-being or make ethical decisions about AI," said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. "To rebuild trust, the industry must take immediate action to implement robust safety measures, increase transparency about AI systems, and give teens a genuine voice in shaping the digital spaces that impact their lives. While tech companies have to act, we all have a role to play in holding them accountable—we need coordinated action from policymakers, educators, parents, and young people themselves to keep the pressure on tech companies to create a digital world that truly serves and protects our youth."

To access the full research brief and methodology, please visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/research-brief-teens-trust-and-technology-in-the-age-of-ai

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