A PAWS inquiry · Young people & AI
Young people, AI & the stories we tell.
When you picture a young person using AI, what are they doing?
Hold that picture for a moment. Explore four questions, meet a few findings, and notice what you become curious about.
Take a PAWSPicture
What picture do you have of what’s happening now?
Something to notice
Guess first. Out of 100 U.S. teens, how many have used a chatbot for schoolwork?
In Pew’s U.S. survey, 54% of teens ages 13–17 had used chatbots for schoolwork; 12% for emotional support or advice. [1, pp. 4–5]
In a separate Australian survey, half of assistant users ages 10–17 reported personal or social uses of an assistant. Even a tool marketed for tasks can have several roles. [2, pp. 28–30]
Stay curious
What did you picture first?
What might be happening beyond that frame?
Assumptions
What assumption is underneath that image?
Something to sit with
Guess first. When teens use AI to finish an assignment, which reason do more of them give?
The Digital Wellness Lab surveyed teens who had used chatbots in Brazil, France, and the United States. In each sample, more reported frequently using AI to complete assignments they didn’t know how to do than assignments they didn’t enjoy or care about. These were separate questions; reasons could overlap. [3, p. 23]
Stay curious
What do you assume about why a student turns to AI?
What would you ask them before deciding?
Who
Who might see it very differently, and why?
Another perspective
Guess first. Which would a student be more likely to say about talking with AI?
Some students in the Norwegian study valued being able to ask questions without feeling judged. Others raised concerns about trust and how their information might be used. [4, pp. 13–14]
In Australia, some young users also described wanting a place to ask private or embarrassing questions. [2, pp. 26–27]
Stay curious
Whose experience could add something you haven’t considered?
Think of someone who uses AI often—and someone who chooses not to. What would you want to understand from each?
Stories
Have I already absorbed many stories about this?
A tension to explore
Guess first. Teens who ask AI for advice: do most of them still ask the people around them?
The Norwegian researchers call their emerging lens AI individualism: what happens when people turn to AI for personalised support? They raise questions about autonomy and reliance on others. [4, pp. 3–4, 16–19]
Meanwhile, in each Digital Wellness Lab country sample, more than half of teens answering the AI-advice questions also consulted parents or guardians, and more than half consulted friends or peers. [3, pp. 30, 48]
Stay curious
Where did your story about AI come from?
What does it help you notice? What might it leave out?
Take one question with you
What are you wondering now?
Choose a finding that surprised you, a question you want to ask someone, or an assumption you want to revisit.
“I came to this thinking…
Now I want to understand…”
Your PAWS so far
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Go a little further
Explore the research.
Four studies, different populations and questions. These are reported experiences, not proof of long-term effects. Open a source for context and the full report.
01 · United States · February 2026Pew Research Center — How Teens Use and View AI
McClain and colleagues. Survey of 1,458 teens ages 13–17 and their parents, September–October 2025. Weighted KnowledgePanel sample; teen findings represent teens living with a parent. The percentages above refer to all teens surveyed, including nonusers.
Read the Pew report ↗02 · Australia · August 2026eSafety Commissioner — Talking to machines
Children’s experiences with AI assistants and companions. Survey of 1,950 children ages 10–17, February–March 2026. Parent-mediated, non-probability panel with quotas and weighting. The 50% finding concerns assistant users, not all children. Personal use includes advice; it does not necessarily mean attachment or friendship.
Read the eSafety report ↗03 · Brazil, France & United States · May 2026Digital Wellness Lab — How Teens Are Using AI to Learn, Create, and Connect
Bickham and colleagues, Boston Children’s Hospital. Survey of prior chatbot users ages 13–17, November–December 2025. Recruitment and sample composition differed by country. Conflicting overall sample totals appear in the report, so none is used here. Advice questions were asked of those who had sought AI advice. The report acknowledges Google’s support and states that the Lab conducts its research independently.
Read the Digital Wellness Lab report ↗04 · Norway · July 2025Brandtzaeg, Følstad & Skjuve — Emerging AI individualism
How young people integrate social AI into everyday life. Open-ended questionnaire with 166 students at six high schools, October 2023–April 2024. Average age 17; range 16–26. This exploratory study develops a conceptual lens; it does not demonstrate that AI causes isolation or dependence.
Read the open-access article ↗PAWS framework: Shifting Schools. Research selected from four supplied reports, October 2026. Reflection questions are an editorial synthesis; page references refer to the PDFs.