To find out what AI actually looks like for kids day-to-day, Common Sense Media surveyed more than a thousand 9- to 17-year-olds across the country. We asked them how they use AI, how often, and for what.

• Kids are using AI for many things. It’s not just a homework helper anymore. For some kids, AI has become a confidant, even though our research is clear that AI companionship is not safe for anyone under 18.
• Guardrails are thin to nonexistent. Schools are talking about rules more than safety. Three-quarters of kids say their school has discussed what they can and cannot use AI for, but just over half have been taught how to use AI safely.
• Just like we saw with smartphones and social media, the conversation is once again lagging behind the technology. Nearly half of kids have never had a conversation with their parents about AI safety.

Common Sense Media partnered with Echelon Insights to develop the survey questionnaire, with input from advisors. Common Sense Media engaged SSRS to conduct cognitive interviews with youth to evaluate the survey questionnaire, as well as to conduct the national survey among youth age 9 to 17 living in the United States. SSRS invited youth to participate in a self-administered online survey through their parents, who are members of the SSRS Opinion Panel.

Data collection was conducted from March 18 to 26, 2026, among a sample of 1,204 youth. The survey was conducted via web in English (1,154) and Spanish (50). Data was weighted to represent the target population of youth age 9 to 17. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is ± 3.8 percentage points.