AI is used by 85% of young people especially for school work

ANDamong the respondents, 47% reported having used generative AI in school work, while 23% resorted to these tools to talk and get physical health advice and the same percentage to talk about concerns and get advice.

The use of AI for school purposes increases clearly with age: it is reported by 28% of children aged between nine and 11 years, 48% from 12 to 14 years and 63% between 15 and 17 years.

The report “New uses, new risks? Digital rights of children and young people (9-17 years)”, held with 2,111 children and young Internet users, also shows a significant difference according to socio-economic status: half of the young people at high and moderate socioeconomic levels refer to using AI for school work, a percentage falling to 34% among those at low level.

Researchers stress that the AI has become a central component of the digital practices of the younger ones and that school uses stand out, in particular to summarize or explain long texts and help carry out school work.

“There was rapid penetration in Portugal, a rapid dissemination of the [AI systems] among young people, on the margins of teachers, on the margins of their parents,” explained Lusa, one of the responsible for the report, Cristina Ponte, researcher at the NOVA Communication Institute (ICNOVA).

For the academic, “to make use of these tools for the work for the school can be productive if it helps in the studies, if it is with a search orientation, research, a certain pedagogical orientation”, although “it can also be negative if they delegate all work to the school in the [AI systems] [...] this brings losses in terms of learning, knowledge”, he concluded. 

However, the report identifies a difference between the confidence that children and young people have in their digital skills and the effective knowledge about the functioning of algorithms, the business models of social networks and the social impact of digital technologies.

About half of respondents still have an interest in learning more about fake news and how to protect personal data online.

For Cristina Ponte, distinguishing reliable information from manipulated or false content is one of the major challenges today. 

The results of the EU Kids Online 2025 show a growing integration of digital technologies into everyday and school life, in a context where the use of the generating AI is associated not only with learning, but also with the search for information, communication and support.