In February 2026, the Pew Research Center published a report about teens’ views and experiences with artificial intelligence (AI). The Center surveyed 1,458 U.S. teens and their parents online in the Fall of 2025 to develop a better understanding of how youth are using AI and what impact they see it having on their lives.
How Youth Use Chatbots
While about half of parents believe their teen uses chatbots, higher shares of teens (64%) are actually using them. Teens turn to chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot and Character.ai for a variety of things:
- More than half of teens say they have used chatbots to search for information (57%) or get help with schoolwork (54%).
- Almost half (47%) say they have used chatbots for fun or entertainment.
- About four in ten teens report using chatbots to summarize articles, books or videos or create or edit images or videos.
- One in five youth say they use chatbots to get news.
- A smaller percentage of teens have used chatbots for social endeavors: 16% have used chatbots to have casual conversations, and 12% say they’ve used chatbots to get emotional support or advice.
How Teens use AI for Schoolwork
Since more than half of teens use chatbots for schoolwork, the survey drilled deeper to determine how teens use them for school and their opinions on their effectiveness.
- About four in ten teens report using chatbots to get help researching a topic or solving math problems.
- By comparison, only 35% of teens have used AI for editing something they wrote.
- Interestingly, one in ten teens say they do all or most of their schoolwork with chatbots’ help.
- About a quarter of all teens say that chatbots have been extremely or very helpful for completing their schoolwork, and another 25% say AI has been somewhat helpful.
- A majority of teens (59%) believe using AI to cheat is a regular occurrence at their school, including one-third of students who say cheating with AI happens extremely or very often.
How Teens View AI’s Impact
The Center’s survey also explored teens’ predictions for AI’s impact on them and society.
- Impact of AI on their personal lives over the next 20 years
- 36% say impact will be positive.
- 15% say impact will be negative.
- Impact of AI on society over the next 20 years
- 31% say impact will be positive. Reasons for positive impact listed by students included:
- Three in ten teens think it’ll make life better or easier.
- About one in five each say it’ll be good for learning or information or make things more efficient.
- 26% say impact will be negative. Reasons for negative impact listed by students included:
- 34% are concerned about overreliance, loss of critical thinking or creativity.
- A quarter of teens were concerned about AI taking people’s jobs.
- Approximately 10% of teens stated that AI is ripe for misuse and misinformation.
- 31% say impact will be positive. Reasons for positive impact listed by students included:
Final Thoughts…
AI is not inherently good or bad on its own. Just like any other powerful tool, people can use it for good or bad purposes. Talking to your teen about AI is a great way to learn about their perspective as well as offer important information to them about your own values, concerns, and perspectives. Use these survey results to open a conversation with your child. Express curiosity about their viewpoint, how they use AI, and how they see their peers using AI.
As you have discussions with your child about AI, consider reviewing some of our previous blogs to inform your conversations, including:
- AI Companion Apps Pose Significant Risks to Youth
- How to Tell – and What You Should Do – If your Teen is Using AI to Complete Homework
- Impact of AI Misinformation on Youth
Always remember that your real-world connection with your child is the most powerful protective factor you have against a wide range of risks. By maintaining open, non-judgmental communication, you help your children develop the critical thinking skills they need to navigate a variety of difficult situations.