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March 16, 2026
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AI Reaches the Youngest Students
While you’re still trying to figure out if and how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance your life, the youngest among us may already be learning how to use AI tools to enhance their school experiences. Recent research by Common Sense Media found that 29% of the 1,578 surveyed claimed that their children, ages 8 and younger, had used AI tools for school assignments.
It’s safe to say that not all parents were wowed by their child’s use of AI in the classroom: Common Sense reported the following range of opinions about the impact of AI on their child’s understanding of the material:
- 23% said the impact was mostly positive
- 55% said AI had no impact at all
- 16% reported both positive and negative impacts
- 5% called the impact mostly negative.
Other findings reported in a Common Sense press release point to surprisingly high use of digital devices in the 8-year-old-and-under age group, which will certainly present challenges to parents hoping to manage their children’s tech use as they get older:
- They’re on screens about 2.5 hours per day, but only 1% of that time is spent on homework. The rest of their screen time is spent gaming and viewing TV/videos
- By age 2, 40% have their own tablet. By age 4 that increases to 58%
- By age 8, 25% have their own cell phone
- About 20% use devices for comfort, meal times, or to fall asleep
In the words of Common Sense Media founder James P. Steyer, “Our youngest children are on the front lines of an unprecedented digital transformation. From AI to immersive gaming, they’re experiencing technologies that didn’t exist even a few years ago.”
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit focused on advocacy and providing families with the tools to build healthy digital habits. You can access the full report, “The 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight,” on the Common Sense Media site.