Over half of teenagers use AI for school assignments, often unbeknownst to parents
Parenting in the digital era presents challenges, and monitoring the chatbots assisting with homework adds another layer of difficulty.
A study reveals that over half of teenagers are utilizing AI for their academic tasks. The survey, which polled 1,458 U.S. teens and their parents between September 25 and October 9, 2025, indicates that 57% of teens employ AI for information searches, and 54% use it for schoolwork assistance.
However, their use goes beyond simple queries like defining the Pythagorean theorem or explaining Boo Radley’s role in To Kill a Mockingbird. Indeed, the study shows that 40% use chatbots to condense articles, books, and videos, meaning some may never read Harper Lee’s classic novel.
Although approximately 45% of teens state they do not use AI for school, one in ten confesses to relying on it for most or all of their assignments. Around a quarter find the technology very or extremely helpful for completing schoolwork, with an additional quarter deeming it somewhat helpful.
“At the most advanced level, they’re using it to investigate a subject,” said Monica Anderson, the Pew Research Center’s director of internet and technology research and a study coauthor. “At the most basic, it’s for editing.”
A perception gap among parents
Nevertheless, some teens are concealing their AI use from parents, or at least operating the technology unbeknownst to them. The research identified a “perception gap” between teen usage and parental awareness. While 64% of U.S. teens report using chatbots, only 51% of parents believe their teen does, and a significant number are entirely unsure. “A substantial portion of parents, nearly three in ten, said they are uncertain if their teen uses these tools,” Anderson noted.
Anderson explained that while many parents are wary of the technology’s potential, this disconnect does not apply to social media, where parents are more cognizant of their children’s activity on platforms like TikTok. “Much of this stems from AI being a very novel technology, new to parents and families in general.”
Despite the awareness gap, most parents express approval for teens using chatbots academically, with 64% supporting it for summarizing articles and books and 58% endorsing it for homework help.
The perils of frictionless education
This research emerges alongside increasing alerts that AI is exacerbating a national learning crisis. A Brookings Institution report labels generative AI the “,” delivering “frictionless” results for students while detracting from core educational experiences.
“Currently, the dangers of implementing generative AI in children’s schooling outweigh the advantages,” the report stated.
The Brookings study proposed a structure for student AI adoption, including recommendations for how schools should manage AI use and advance AI literacy for teachers, students, and parents.
According to the Pew study, even though a majority of teens use AI for schoolwork, about a quarter remain worried about its societal implications. “The predominant concern was that people will grow overly dependent and diminish their creativity and critical thinking abilities,” Anderson said.