AI for teens: what to learn before 16

Teens are the first group to grow up with AI in every part of school and social life. They do not need to be scared of it, and they do not need to be told it is fine. They need judgment.

Six things worth learning

1. How it works. AI learns from examples and guesses. Understanding that explains almost everything else.
2. How to check it. Treat every AI answer as a draft to verify, especially facts, numbers and sources.
3. How to use it without cheating themselves. AI can help them study, outline and get unstuck. If it does the thinking, they do not learn. Know and follow school rules.
4. Privacy. Anything typed into a tool may be stored or used. Photos and personal details need extra care.
5. Fakes. Deepfakes, voice clones and scams are real. Teach teens to pause before reacting. See how to spot AI images.
6. Fairness. AI reflects its examples, so it can treat some groups worse than others. Teens should be able to ask whose data it learned from.

Good ways to practise

• Ask AI for an explanation, then explain it back in their own words.
• Fact-check one AI answer a week.
• Try a small machine-learning project. See AI projects for kids.
• Read what the school's AI policy says.

Talking to teens

Skip lectures. Ask what they use it for, what it does well and what annoyed them. Share your own mistakes with it. Teens respond to respect.

Rules that still apply

Most chatbots require users to be at least 13, and under 18 with a parent's permission. Check current terms, and see Is ChatGPT safe for kids?.

Skills that last

Whatever AI becomes, these will matter: asking good questions, checking information, communicating clearly, creativity and working with others. See talking to kids about AI and the jobs of the future.