How Young People Are Using AI
There is still so much we don't know about how young people use GenAI, so it is great to see OfCom's 2023 Online Nation Report for the UK. Here are some of the key findings:
For 7-17 year olds:
- 40% of 7-12 year olds and 79% of 13-17 year-olds said they had used one or more of the following AI tools: ChatGPT, Snapchat My AI, Midjourney or DALL-E
- 50% have used Snapchat MyAI and 24% have used ChatGPT - a higher ratio of girls using Snapchat and boys using ChatGPT
- 43% drop in usage during the summer
For 16-24 year olds:
- 74% said they used a GenAI tool compared to only 14% of those aged 45+
- 58% have used ChatGPT and 54% have used Snapchat My AI
- 44% said they used it to help with their studies
- 2/3 said they were worried about AI’s future societal impact
These findings re-affirm the anecdotal data we are hearing from our partners that students are adopting these tools at a faster rate then their teachers.
One key reason is that SnapChat is one of the most commonly used social media platforms for young people, so their release of My AI means that young people have ready access to an untested, unreliable, and at times harmful GenAI tool (some examples in the comments).
We'd love to see more of this research as it emphasizes the need for AI literacy training for students as young as age 7.
What do you think of the findings? Do they match up with your experiences with young people?
Resources about the harms of Snapchat MyAI: https://www.reuters.com/technology/uk-regulator-issues-notice-snapchat-over-privacy-risks-posed-by-ai-chatbot-2023-10-06/ and https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/27/tech/snapchat-my-ai-concerns-wellness/index.html
