More Teens Are Using ChatGPT to Do Homework

Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with news, advice, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:

• 26% of teens say they’ve used ChatGPT for schoolwork — double the number from 2023.
• According to a national sample of US adolescents, most kids under age 15 have a social media account, and kids under age 13 have just over 3 accounts on average.
• If you’re feeling grumpy lately, it’s not just you — researchers have found a not-so-surprising relationship between social media use and irritability.

Digital Parenting

?? Your teen has probably asked AI to solve for X: A new Pew Research Center poll asked US teens ages 13–17 whether they’ve used ChatGPT for schoolwork. Twenty-six percent said they had, double the number from two years ago. Teens in 11th and 12th grade were more likely than seventh and eighth graders to use AI as their study buddy (31% vs. 20%).?

While some applications of AI can be helpful, like outlining a paper or identifying typos, it gets problematic when kids are using the technology to do their homework for them. Twenty-nine percent said it’s acceptable to use ChatGPT for math problems, even though a recent study found that the AI can only answer questions slightly more accurately than a person guessing. And, of course, when the robots write your papers for you, you don’t learn how to effectively write a compelling argument. On our blog, we covered tips to manage the potential downsides of ChatGPT and how to talk to your kiddo about it.

?? Most kids ages 11–15 have a social media account: According to an analysis of a national sample of early adolescents in the US, a majority (65.9%) of kids have a social media account — even though social platforms say their minimum age is 13. In fact, under-13 social media users had an average of 3.38 social media accounts (mostly TikTok). Notably, just 6.3% of participants said they had a secret social media account hidden from their parents. We listen and we don’t judge, but social media isn’t great for younger kids — it can expose them to addictive algorithms, problematic content, and online harassment, among other concerns. If your child has a social profile, we recommend monitoring. Here’s how to do it.

?? Social media is making us grumpier: A study published earlier this month investigated the relationship between social media use and irritability — aka feeling grumpy or feeling more bothered by things and people more than usual. Frequent use of social media was associated with significantly higher levels of irritability, especially for people who posted often. The findings were based on adults, but it’s worth considering how frequent social media use can impact your already-moody teens and tweens. Our advice: help your child replace constant social media use with better, more constructive ways to spend their leisure time, ideally away from screens. Save these tips to help your child make stronger offline friendships.

Parent Pixels is a biweekly parenting newsletter by BrightCanary, a child safety app that helps parents guide, support, and protect their kids online. Email subscribers get the newsletter early — subscribe here.

Tech Talks With Your Child

Believe it or not, we’ve reached the end of January. In terms of our digital lives, the end of the month is a great time to reflect on what went right, what didn’t, and where we can grow in the coming month. Here are some thought-starters to bring to your next roundtable with your child.

1. “How did you feel about your social media use this month? Do you wish you spent more or less time on anything?”
2. “Did you discover anything new and exciting this month? I learned about a new book I really want to check out.”
3. “Did anyone or anything bother you online recently? I want to give you some space to talk about it.”
4. “I’d really like to challenge myself to only spend 10 minutes a day on social media in February. Do you want to join me?”
5. “How are you feeling about our device rules? I’m glad to see you’re leaving your phone to charge outside of your bedroom at night.”

What's Catching Our Eye

?? Did you know that there’s a science behind making yourself happier? Some steps include valuing time over material possessions, expressing gratitude, and, yes, giving up social media for extended periods of time. Check out the full writeup via Parenting Translator.

?? “Social media platforms are not neutral bystanders; they actively design systems that promote engagement at any cost, even if it means exposing children to harmful content. We urge Congress to prioritize this legislation — it’s a matter of life and death.” Read Laura Berman and Samuel Chapman’s op-ed about why we need social media regulation.?

?? In today’s day and age, how do you teach kids to be “good at the Internet”? Big fans of this Romper essay by Rebecca Ackermann.