Editorial illustration for Tech leaders, students weigh daily reliance on AI and safety for kids
AI's Daily Impact: Tech Leaders Reveal Student Insights
Tech leaders, students weigh daily reliance on AI and safety for kids
Trust in technology is measured at home, by the things we hand to our kids. The people building artificial intelligence are now staring at that test, and they don't like their answers.
"We're actually putting this out into the world; it's something people are going to rely on every day," she says. "Is this something that I would be comfortable giving to my own child to use?" Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince emphasized AI companies should work to establish trust before launching a new product. A recent YouGov survey found that while 35 percent of US adults say they use AI daily, only 5 percent "trust AI a lot," and 41 percent are distrustful. An Ipsos poll showed that trust in AI companies to protect personal data actually fell globally from 2023 to 2024.
We use it. We don't trust it. The math is simple and damning.
For a CEO to warn that trust must come before a product ships is an admission that the current model is broken. The numbers prove it. Global confidence in these companies is falling, not rising.
This creates a peculiar daily reality, especially for students. They are the first generation to be fully immersed, using tools their elders built but openly fear. Their safety is the central contradiction.
It is treated as a technical challenge, a problem of guardrails and content filters. It is really a question of integrity. The industry's foundational promise—move fast, break things—collapses when the thing that might break is a child.
The tools are already in their hands. The builders just hope they're safe.
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Common Questions Answered
How many U.S. teens are using AI chatbots daily?
[pewresearch.org](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/) reports that roughly three-in-ten teens use chatbots daily, with about 16% using them several times a day or 'almost constantly'. The Pew Research Center survey of 1,458 U.S. teens found that nearly 70% of American teens have used an AI chatbot at least once.
What concerns do experts have about teens using AI chatbots?
[cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/13/experts-warn-ai-llm-chatgpt-gemini-perplexity-claude-grok-copilot-could-reshape-teen-youth-brains.html) highlights concerns that early exposure to AI could negatively impact how children and teens think and learn. A preliminary MIT study suggests that the convenience of AI tools may have long-term cognitive costs, potentially stunting developmental thinking skills.
Which social media platforms are most popular among teens in 2025?
[pewresearch.org](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/) reports that YouTube is used by nearly all teens, with about six-in-ten using TikTok and Instagram. Snapchat is used by 55% of teens, while fewer teens use platforms like Facebook (31%) and WhatsApp (24%).
Further Reading
- Student Generative AI Survey 2025 — HEPI
- Survey: College Students' Views on AI — Inside Higher Ed
- 6 in 10 Online Students Report Using AI, Survey Finds — BestColleges
- New survey details teen AI-use — CSBA Blog
