Half of Parents Worry Their Children Rely on AI Too Much, Survey Finds
A Deloitte back-to-school poll of 1,150 parents captures a familiar knot of anxieties: children lean on AI heavily and schools teach it too little.
July 9, 2026 – 9:41 am
Artificial intelligence has moved from the office and university lecture hall into primary school classrooms, and a fresh survey suggests plenty of parents are uneasy about it. Half of those polled said they worried their child "relies on AI too much."
The figure comes from a survey of 1,150 parents of school-aged children, reflecting a broader argument about technology’s place in a child’s day. It echoes findings that children grasp AI faster than adults and revives debates about screen time and sensible limits.
What makes the worry striking is how far ahead of the classroom it runs. Only 22% of parents said their child’s school provides approved generative AI tools, while just 33% had set guidelines for using them. Yet nearly 30% of respondents reported their children already used generative AI in schoolwork—a level of adoption surpassing the rules meant to govern it.
The anxiety is twofold: parents fear both that schools aren’t preparing children with enough AI skills and that they’re leaning too heavily on AI. This duality makes resolving the issue complex.
These numbers add a new layer to a long-running debate over technology in schools, predating the current chatbot wave. As platforms like YouTube compete with declining math and reading scores, districts grapple with this tension. Some teachers are turning back to more analogue methods, emphasizing handwritten assignments to ensure student thinking is their own.
However, research suggests the picture isn’t straightforwardly bleak. Studies on children and screens have repeatedly found that what matters most is quality over quantity—and purposeful use of technology can enhance learning outcomes.