Children turn to AI for homework and life advice: UNICEF

Young people in Delhi, India use their smartphones.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of children’s everyday lives, with millions worldwide using the technology for learning, problem-solving and even personal advice, according to a new report by UNICEF.

Based on data collected from 10 countries, UNICEF estimates that at least 20 million children have used AI, with young people adopting the technology at a rate more than three times faster than adults.

The report found that around two million children — roughly one in 10 — turn to AI for advice on personal concerns and worries. Meanwhile, 13 million children said they use AI to assist with schoolwork and homework.

“AI is here. It is a growing part of all of our lives,” UNICEF said in a statement released on Tuesday. “It is already shaping childhood around the world — for better and for worse.”

While AI is creating new opportunities for learning and creativity, UNICEF warned that understanding of its long-term impact on children’s development, emotional well-being and exposure to harm remains limited.

“In effect, a generation is growing up inside a global experiment,” the agency said.

The report also highlighted growing concerns among children about the risks associated with AI. One-third of surveyed children said they fear AI could be used for scams or to spread misinformation. One in four expressed concern that their images or videos could be manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes.

UNICEF warned that children are often among the first to experience the consequences of poorly regulated AI systems, despite having little control over how such technologies are designed or how their personal data is collected and used.

Ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, UNICEF urged governments and technology companies to place children’s rights at the centre of AI regulation.

The agency called for stronger protections against AI-enabled sexual exploitation, increased research into AI’s effects on child development, safer and more transparent AI systems, improved digital literacy for children and parents, and expanded digital access to prevent a widening digital divide.

“The choices made about AI now,” UNICEF said, “will shape children’s safety, privacy, well-being and equal access to opportunities for decades to come.”