New Poll Finds Parents Lag Behind Kids on AI and Want Rules and Reliable Information to Help Them

 Poll from Common Sense Media finds that only 30% of parents say that they have used ChatGPT compared to 58% of students age 12–18.

Most kids are using the tool without their parents’ or teachers’ knowledge. One in two students have used ChatGPT for school but only one in four parents report knowing about it.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Common Sense Media published the results of a poll that reveals a knowledge gap between parents and students about artificial intelligence. While both groups feel optimistic about the potential for AI, only 30% of parents say that they have used ChatGPT or heard a lot about it, whereas a majority of students say the same (58% and 54%, respectively).

“These findings show that while parents and kids are generally optimistic about the potential of AI, they also see the potential for the extraordinary downsides,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. “It is clear that parents and all of society have a lot of catching up to do and need reliable resources and clear rules to deal with the impact of AI on our society and our kids. Common Sense is committed to helping families and the general public make informed decisions about the role that this rapidly evolving technology will play in all of our lives—and most of all in the lives of our children.”

Common Sense Media commissioned the survey of parents of students age 12–18, as well as students themselves, to better understand how much both groups know about AI, how they are engaging with it, and what they think are the promises and pitfalls of the emerging technology. Among the poll’s key findings:

• Parents and teens are both excited about the potential that generative AI holds for education, with 77% of parents and 92% of students interested in AI-powered education tools that could help students learn.
• Students who use ChatGPT for school are already three times more likely to use it than search engines like Google. A majority of students who have used ChatGPT for school now say they are more likely to use it for school than search engines like Google (53%).
• While they are optimistic about AI, both parents and students also have significant concerns, especially about kids becoming too dependent on it. Strong majorities of both parents and students express significant concerns about kids becoming too dependent on it for school (66% major concern), kids using it to cheat (60%), and it generating inappropriate content (60%).
• Kids are using AI without telling their parents or teachers. While 50% of students age 12–18 say they have used ChatGPT for school, only 26% of parents of kids in that age range report knowing that their child has used it for school. Additionally, 38% of students say they have used ChatGPT for a school assignment without their teacher’s permission, while 56% say they have a friend or classmate who has done so.
• Both parents and students want schools to put rules in place for AI soon. Just 26% of parents think their child’s school has rules in place for how ChatGPT can be used by students, and both parents and students want to see rules enacted. Majorities of parents (61%) and students (51%) think schools should limit the use of AI programs like ChatGPT until rules and safeguards can be put into place.

Conducted by Impact Research, the complete poll results can be viewed here.

About Common Sense
Common Sense is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Learn more at commonsense.org.

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SOURCE Common Sense Media