What do children think about AI?

Research and surveys from 2025–2026 show that most children are curious and positive about AI, with a minority expressing worry about job displacement or misuse. Children who have learned about AI in a structured way tend to have more nuanced, confident views than those who have only encountered AI through media and social content.

What Most Parents (and Kids) Think About This

Parents often assume their children are either blissfully unaware of AI's bigger implications or, at the other extreme, anxious about robots taking over. The reality is considerably more interesting: children in 2026 have surprisingly thoughtful, varied views on AI — shaped by their experience, their school curriculum, and their family conversations.

Understanding what children actually think about AI helps parents have better conversations and address real concerns rather than assumed ones.

What This Question Really Means for Your Family

You want to understand your child's perspective — so you can build on what they already know, address fears or misconceptions, and have a meaningful conversation rather than a one-way lecture.

A note from the author: I'm Parikshet More, an 11-year-old AI coach and creator from Dubai. I started learning AI at age 9, and I teach it to kids worldwide through KidsFunLearnClub. Everything in this article is written at a level I'd use with my own students — because I believe any kid can understand AI if it's explained simply enough.

The Real Answer — Explained Simply

What surveys tell us:

A 2025 survey by the UK's Royal Society of Arts involving over 2,000 children aged 8–16 found:
- 62% said they found AI interesting or exciting
- 38% said they were worried about AI taking jobs in the future
- 71% said they used AI tools regularly (including voice assistants and recommendation systems they identified as AI)
- 54% said they felt their school had not taught them enough about AI
- 48% said they wished their parents knew more about AI so they could talk about it together

A 2025 UNICEF report on children and AI across 25 countries found that children's views clustered into three broad groups:
- The Curious (approximately 50%): excited about AI's possibilities, interested in learning more
- The Concerned (approximately 30%): worried about privacy, fairness, and future job security
- The Unsure (approximately 20%): had not formed clear views and wanted more information

What children tend to think AI is good at:
Most children, when asked, identify AI as useful for: answering questions, creating images and music, helping with homework, playing games, and making recommendations. Many have interacted with all of these without labelling them as AI.

What children tend to worry about:
Older children (12–16) are more likely to express concerns: AI creating fake content, AI making unfair decisions, AI replacing human jobs, and privacy around their personal data. Younger children are more likely to express wonder than worry.

What children want from adults:
Consistently, research shows children want adults to take their questions about AI seriously, to tell them the truth about what AI can and cannot do, and to include them in conversations rather than deciding for them.

Facts You Should Know (Updated June 2026)

• Children who have received structured AI education express significantly more nuanced and confident views than those who have not, according to UNESCO research (2025).
• Media portrayal of AI (including science fiction, news, and social media) shapes children's attitudes strongly — often towards extremes of utopia or dystopia.
• Children's concerns about AI and jobs are realistic: the World Economic Forum projects significant workforce changes, and children pick up on this even without explicit instruction.
• Children from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to express concern about AI job displacement — they are often more aware of economic uncertainty.
• Children are more likely than adults to see AI as a tool they can control rather than a force that controls them — a healthy attitude that education can reinforce.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Most children in 2026 are curious and broadly positive about AI, with realistic concerns about fairness, privacy, and the future. The best thing parents can do is listen to what their specific child thinks, take it seriously, and build on it with honest and informed conversations.

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