Common Sense Media has released its inaugural annual study on AI use by tweens and teens, and the numbers are striking: 86% of children use AI, and nearly a quarter of them use it every single day.

The deeper findings go beyond how many kids use AI. More than half of kids surveyed have turned to AI for advice about their health or body. Over a third have discussed feelings or personal problems with an AI chatbot. This isn't just kids using AI to help with homework — it's kids treating AI as a source of advice and even emotional conversation.

This is Common Sense Media's inaugural annual study specifically on AI use by tweens and teens, meaning this is a new, dedicated benchmark — not a one-off survey buried in a broader report. It's designed to be tracked year over year.

If 86% of kids are already using AI, the practical question for most parents isn't 'should my kid use AI' — it's 'what are they actually using it for, and do I know about it.' The health-advice and personal-feelings numbers are the most important parts of this study for parents specifically, because they represent a category of AI use that's easy to miss entirely if you're only thinking about AI as a homework tool.

Ask your kid directly what they actually use AI for. Health questions and personal-feelings conversations with AI are common now — a real, normal part of many kids' lives worth an open, non-judgmental conversation, not a fringe behavior to be surprised by later.

▶ Watch the 30-second video version: https://youtube.com/shorts/rS8rMrm6_K4

Source: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-releases-inaugural-annual-study-on-ai-use-by-tweens-and-teens

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