Teens on AI: From Fear to Building Their Own Tools

A new report from MIT Technology Review, based on interviews with kids aged 10 to 18, reveals a nuanced generation gap in attitudes toward artificial intelligence. While some teens express deep concerns about AI's environmental impact and its potential to stifle creativity, many are using it for schoolwork, entertainment, and even building their own applications. The Pew Research Center survey from February 2026 found that 57% of US teens used chatbots for information, 54% for schoolwork, and 47% for fun. Among the young voices featured are Remy, 16, of New York, who calls AI 'indifferent' and compares it to the first car or airplane—'interesting but crude'; Danielle, 18, of California, who co-founded Next Voters to make government documents accessible; Hazel, 17, of New York, who avoids AI due to data centers' water usage; Wesley, 14, of Ohio, who enjoys Character.AI but warns of unfiltered content; Sylvia, 10, of Michigan, who prefers to draw and write songs herself; Evelyn, 13, of Oregon, who uses AI for diabetes management; and Krishiv, 17, of Ontario, Canada, who created AI tutor Aceflow and later joined an AI lab at MIT. The article also includes a 'Cringe-o-meter' where kids rate AI uses. The authors, Jen Swetzoff and Keeley McNamara, founders of Anyway magazine, note that kids want to 'keep their hands on the wheel' and that adults can learn from their nuanced views.