Children with AI

Today I am talking about personal AI Governance. Learning from what social media has done to our society and comparing that to AI, specifically childrens use of AI and what that could mean for your kids mental health. 

We are going to start with some social media statistics that no longer have to rely on surveys but long term studies. Up to 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 reported using social media, with more than a third using it "almost constantly". The harms are now well documented, Here are a few:

Children and adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

46% of teens 13 to 17 say social media makes them feel worse about their body image 

48% of teens now say these sites have a mostly negative effect on people their age, up from 32% in 2022.

45% say social media hurts their sleep 

A 2025 Pew survey found 44% of parents identified social media as the single most negative influence on teen mental health 

The US Surgeon General issued a formal advisory in 2023 warning that social media is harming young people's mental health, followed by a similar advisory from the American Psychological Association 

Even though platforms set a minimum age of 13, 38% of kids ages 8 to 12 say they have used social media anyway, which is the proof that age gates without education don't work. 

Now onto where AI adoption stands with kids right now, hint the adoption curve is steep!

A Common Sense Media survey found nearly 9 in 10 kids ages 9 to 17 use or interact with AI, including about 1 in 4 daily. Use includes asking AI for homework help, health questions, and personal problems many times before turning to an adult

A nationally representative FAU study of 3,466 adolescents found that among teen chatbot users, nearly half reported exposure to at least one harmful interaction, including requests for personal information, manipulation, and encouragement of risky or self-harm behaviors, with 13-year-olds among the most exposed 

RAND found nearly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults use AI chatbots for mental health advice, and among those who do, 63% said they had not disclosed that use to anyone So lets look at the landscape of being a 15 year old in modern day America. You are most likely on social media constantly comparing yourself against others which then gives you anxiety and other mental health challenges over time. You don’t like the way you feel, and instead of asking a parent or teacher you are asking ChatGPT for help. Additionally, 60% of those surveyed that are using AI chatbots are doing so with absolutely no guidance from parents or an adult. Is this what we want as a society? 

Here at the AI steward we focus on real governance and actions to be congruent with those governance points. It is great to put something in a handbook but if it is not realistically enforceable then what is the point. This is arguably the most important governance topic that we could bring up. What can realistically be done about our kids being brought up by AI? First, good governance starts with good communication. Parents need to talk to their children. Not just about social media but about AI. To do that, Parents need to be educated on AI and the risks themselves.  The landscape is heavy on free PDFs, toolkits, and one-off webinars. It is very light on structured, live, expert-led education delivered directly to parents. For those of you looking for some educational free downloads, Common sense education offers a playbook and toolkits with distribution plans. These pieces are better than a sharp stick in the eye, but ultimately not going to move a needle. To move a needle, we need a movement. That movement should start with in person, structured AI educational opportunities for Parents and Children together. A hands on approach that shows the benefits of the technology and encourages conversation around it. The reason these are not a thing is financially it will cost a boat load of money to do this. Course creation, competent implementors, computers and tools to make it hands on, space rental, marketing the events, partnerships, and a ton of little things all go into good events. In the business world, we talk about ROI. I am pretty sold on AI education as being the ounce of prevention that can have arguably the biggest impact on our nations mental health. Because of this, I am committing to help educate my community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Janis Consulting already does AI education for municipalities and businesses. We have the framework in place to make it happen. I will create a map of what I do so other communities can follow.  I will also attempt to crowd fund to subsidize some of the costs of education. It is my belief that with wise governance and congruent actions the AI era of humanity will be exponentially better than any other point in history. Let’s do the work now so our kids future is bright.