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by CORY SMITH | The National News Desk
(TNND) — Over half of teenagers say they use artificial intelligence chatbots for schoolwork, and most teens think their classmates are using the technology to cheat.
Those were among the findings in a new survey from the Pew Research Center, which examined how teens use and view AI.
“It's a complicated situation, because of the speed at which AI is moving and the availability of these very powerful tools to youth,” said Anton Dahbura, an AI expert and the co-director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy.
Most teens said they have used AI to search for information or get help with schoolwork, 57% and 54%, respectively.
Nearly half, 47%, said they’ve used AI for fun or entertainment.
More than four in 10 said they’ve used chatbots to summarize an article, book or video.
Over a third have used it to create or edit images or videos.
Around 20% have used AI to get the news.
Sixteen percent have used chatbots for casual conversation.
And 12% have turned to chatbots for emotional support or advice.
One in 10 teens said they do all or most of their schoolwork with the help of chatbots, like ChatGPT or Copilot.
Another 44% said they use AI for at least "a little" amount of their schoolwork.
Teens said they use AI for research, to solve math problems, and to edit their writing.
Half viewed chatbots as helpful for completing schoolwork.
But 59% of teens think AI is regularly used to cheat in their school.
Dahbura said schools need to better define what’s acceptable and what’s not when it comes to AI and schoolwork.
In one sense, it’s an evolution of using the internet to find information and, before that, physical reference cards in a library. But using AI to complete the homework is the other extreme, he said.
“This is something that is a hot discussion topic in educational circles, and it's going to take some time to sort out,” Dahbura said.
AI for entertainment is “too unguarded at this point,” Dahbura said.
But he said AI-related entertainment comes in a lot of different forms.
AI-powered video games are one thing, he said. Using chatbots to create deepfakes is entirely different.
And he called for continued investigation into the impact of AI on mental health.
The Jed Foundation (JED), Common Sense Media and others have raised concerns over teen use of AI chatbots for emotional or mental health support.
Common Sense Media previously tested leading chatbots and found them unacceptably risky for teen mental health support.
They found the chatbots missed clues of a struggling user. They often offered sycophantic responses that could reinforce harmful behavior. And they might foster a false feeling of trust with young users, preventing them from reaching out to a human who can provide real help in a time of crisis, Common Sense Media said.
Michael Robb, the head of research for Common Sense Media, said Wednesday that the Pew Research Center findings aligned closely with what they’ve seen in their studies.
Teens are already weaving AI into their schoolwork and personal lives, often in thoughtful and pragmatic ways, he said.
But many adults aren’t fully aware of how teens are using it, Robb said.
And he called the findings about using AI for schoolwork and cheating “striking.”
Robb said more needs to be done to help students understand how to use AI responsibly and to know when AI use crosses a line.
“This is also a moment for the tech industry to step up by building age-appropriate protections and designing AI tools with young users’ well-being in mind from the start,” Robb said via email.
Dahbura said parents should worry about their kids using AI.
“Yes. Yeah, they do,” Dahbura said. “Because just like any technology, when there's a lack of parental supervision, it's really hard to tell what's going to go on.”
The Pew Research Center survey found lukewarm positivity about AI from teens.
A plurality but not a majority, 36%, of teens said they expect AI to have a mostly positive impact on them personally over the next 20 years.
Another 32% said they expect an equally positive and negative impact.
And 15% said they expected a negative impact.
Seventeen percent said they just weren’t sure if AI would have a positive or negative impact in their lives.
“That's the right answer,” Dahbura said of the teens who were unsure.
AI can be used for good or bad, and it’s tough to forecast the impact so far into the future.
“So, it's not surprising that the answers are very much mixed,” he said.
Some teens saw AI as making life easier or being good for learning or efficiency, according to the Pew Research Center survey.
Others were concerned about job losses, misinformation, and an overreliance on AI that could impact critical thinking or creativity.
Still, Dahbura said teens should embrace AI, which he called “an amazing set of tools at their fingertips.”
They just need to do so with caution and a healthy dose of skepticism, Dahbura said.
“AI is far from perfect. We all know that,” he said. “But learn early about its strengths and limitations and take advantage.”
2026 Sinclair, Inc.