Children are adopting AI faster than adults, finds a UNICEF survey in 10 countries.
At least 20 million children across ten countries are already using artificial intelligence (AI), with many adopting it more than three times faster than adults, according to new analysis from UNICEF. For educators, this shows that AI is having a real impact on how students are learning and making sense of the world – before they have taught them how to use it carefully.
How children are using AI
UNICEF’s findings show that AI is quickly becoming part of everyday childhood, with approximately 13 million using AI tools to support their learning and complete homework. In addition, more than 2 million children say they turn to it for advice on things that worry them.
Key points:
- Up to 50 per cent of surveyed children are already using AI.
- Children are over three times more likely to be users of AI systems than their parents or caregivers.
- Children’s concerns around AI’s risks are uneven.
Protections against risks are lagging
UNICEF warns that the speed of AI adoption is far outstripping efforts to regulate and safeguard children. Policies, product designs and safety measures are “lagging very far behind”, leaving children particularly exposed, it says. This gap is critical in schools, where AI is already influencing assessment, research habits and emotional support outside any formal guidance.
Without guidance, there are real risks that young people will be exposed to misinformation, inappropriate or exploitative content – or experience over-reliance or risks to their privacy. At the same time, unequal access to devices, connectivity and AI literacy risk widening existing attainment gaps between and within countries.
UNICEF’s next steps
UNICEF is calling on governments, the private sector and partners to embed child rights – especially safety and protection – in global AI governance.
In practical terms, it says schools can:
- Build AI literacy for pupils and staff, helping children understand how AI works, its limits and how to use it responsibly.
- Teach critical evaluation of AI outputs, including checking sources, spotting bias and recognising when AI advice may be unsafe or inaccurate.
- Create clear classroom policies on acceptable AI use for homework, revision and creative work, distinguishing between support and substitution.
- Open conversations about wellbeing, acknowledging that some pupils are already seeking emotional or personal advice from AI and may need guidance on safer alternatives
- Address equity, ensuring all pupils have access to reliable connectivity, devices and support so that AI does not become another driver of inequality.
A ‘decisive moment’
UNICEF describes this as a “decisive moment” because the decisions made today about AI will determine children’s safety, privacy and opportunities over the next decades.
References
- Children are adopting AI technologies more than three times faster than adults. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-are-adopting-ai-technologies-more-three-times-faster-adults. (Accessed 2 July 2026)
- Snapshot of AI Usage and Concerns Among Children and Parents – Insights from 10 countries. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/documents/snapshot-ai-usage-among-children-parents (Accessed 2 July 2026)
