22% of British children aged 8-12 use AI without knowing what it is
22% of British schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 are already actively using artificial intelligence tools. Despite most of them never even hearing the term “generative artificial intelligence”. This is data from a study by the Alan Turing Institute and Lego Foundation.
The technological landscape of children’s world is predominantly shaped by ChatGPT, Gemini and My AI from Snapchat. Particularly interesting pattern: private school students and children with learning difficulties turn to chatbots significantly more often than others. And for the latter, artificial intelligence becomes an irreplaceable assistant in formulating their own thoughts.
The evolution of usage can be traced with age: younger schoolchildren use artificial intelligence predominantly for entertainment — creating funny images. While 11-12-year-olds already strategically use it for information search and homework completion.
Parental reaction is ambivalent: 76% approve of their children using artificial intelligence. But almost all fear encountering inappropriate content. No less than 75% of adults worry about potential deterioration of critical thinking in young technology users.
