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Artificial intelligence is reshaping not only how adults work, but how children learn, play and seek information. A new UNICEF analysis, based on data from 10 countries, found that at least 20 million children worldwide are already using AI tools. The rate at which children are adopting the technology is nearly three times higher than that of adults, according to the findings.
The research shows that education is the leading use case for children engaging with AI. Roughly 13 million children reported using AI tools to support their schoolwork and learning. More than 2 million children said they turn to AI for advice on issues that cause them personal worry or anxiety.
UNICEF acknowledged that AI offers significant opportunities in learning, creativity and play. At the same time, the organization said the technology's effects on children's cognitive development, emotional attachment, privacy and exposure to harmful content remain poorly understood. 'Children today are growing up in the middle of a global technological transformation whose consequences are not yet fully predictable,' the organization said.
Children themselves appear aware of the risks. Across the 10 countries surveyed, roughly one in three children said they worry that AI could be used for fraud, deception, or the spread of false information.
One in four children said they fear their own photos or videos could be manipulated into sexually explicit deepfake images using AI.
UNICEF noted that despite children's growing use of AI systems, they have little oversight into how those systems are developed, what business models drive them, or how their personal data is used.
The organization said children will be among the first to face the consequences of inadequate regulation and will bear those effects the longest.
Ahead of the first AI Governance Global Dialogue, UNICEF called on governments and technology companies to place children's rights at the center of AI policy. The organization recommended further research into AI's effects on children, stronger legal protections against AI-enabled sexual exploitation and abuse, the development of safe and transparent AI systems, and improved AI literacy for children and parents alike.
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