UNICEF has released alarming new data showing that at least 20 million children across 10 countries have used artificial intelligence, with young people adopting the technology more than three times faster than adults. The agency warns that safeguards are failing to keep pace with this rapid adoption, leaving a generation exposed to potential harms.
Key Findings on AI Usage Among Children
Based on surveys from 10 countries, UNICEF estimates that approximately 2 million children—about one in 10—have turned to AI for advice about personal worries. Additionally, 13 million children reported using AI to assist with schoolwork and homework. These figures highlight the deep integration of AI into children's daily lives.
“AI is here. It is a growing part of all of our lives,” UNICEF said in a statement released on Tuesday. “It is already shaping childhood around the world – for better and for worse.” While AI offers new opportunities for learning and creativity, the agency cautions that evidence about its effects on children’s development, emotional well-being, and exposure to harm is only beginning to emerge.
Children Aware of Risks
Children themselves are increasingly conscious of the dangers posed by AI. One-third of those surveyed expressed concern that AI could be used to scam people or spread misinformation. One-quarter feared that their images or videos could be manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes. These concerns underscore the need for robust protective measures.
UNICEF warned that children are often the first to experience the consequences of poorly regulated AI systems, despite having little control over how the technology is designed or how their personal data is collected and used. “In effect, a generation is growing up inside a global experiment,” the agency stated.
Urgent Call for Regulation
Ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, UNICEF is urging governments and technology companies to place children’s rights at the center of AI regulation. The agency called for stronger protections against AI-enabled sexual exploitation, greater investment in research on AI’s impact on child development, safer and more transparent AI systems, improved digital literacy for children and parents, and expanded digital access to prevent a widening AI divide.
“The choices made about AI now,” UNICEF said, “will shape children’s safety, privacy, well-being and their equal access to opportunities for decades to come.” The agency emphasized that immediate action is necessary to ensure that AI serves as a tool for empowerment rather than a source of harm.
