Artificial intelligence use by kids sparks concerns

With schools set to reopen after the winter vacation, students will return to their classrooms with rapidly evolving artificial intelligence tools that have become efficient assistants for those rushing to complete their assignments. But the trend has also sparked concerns about AI's growing role in education.

With just a few simple prompts, students can use AI tools such as DeepSeek or Kimi to tackle their schoolwork. Typical assignments in primary and secondary schools — ranging from solving math problems and writing essays to designing posters — can now be easily handled with generative AI.

"AI tools have saved me a lot of time tutoring my child," said Su Min, a 40-year-old mother of a sixth grader in Beijing. "I learn how to solve problems with AI and then teach my daughter."

However, Su emphasized that her daughter does not use AI tools for schoolwork on her own.

"Simply copying the results generated by AI is not beneficial," she said.

Chen Zhuo, a 16-year-old 11th grader from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said she started using AI out of curiosity.

"I used AI to generate a framework for my essay and then refined it myself," she said. "But I found it lacked emotional depth and was disconnected from current events.

"While it may lead to reliance, I don't use it for my math homework because copying answers from AI is meaningless. Ultimately, I need to learn how to solve problems on my own."

Parents on social media are now sharing their experiences with using AI to help their children with their assignments, particularly those they see as unimportant.

"Given the tight schedule of a ninth grader during winter vacation, AI tools help with time-consuming tasks that don't significantly impact grades, like simple writing or making posters," one user commented on Chinese lifestyle app RedNote.

While AI tools make schoolwork easier, some teachers are concerned about unauthorized use, as students' homework increasingly contains AI-generated content.

Although some universities have implemented strict guidelines for AI use in research and thesis writing, primary and secondary schools have largely lacked clear regulations.

In December, the Ministry of Education issued guidelines aimed at strengthening AI education in primary and secondary schools. The initiative includes developing a systematic AI curriculum and expanding AI education nationwide by 2030.

To promote the responsible use of AI, some schools are exploring ways to integrate it into assignments. The affiliated primary school of Beijing No 12 Middle School, for example, assigned an AI-related homework project over the winter break. Younger students were tasked with generating AI-assisted paintings of Spring Festival, while older students wrote an English research report on the festival's cultural influence and consumption trends using AI tools.

"While AI is often touted as a tool to enhance education, its impact on children's self-development could be more detrimental," said Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute. "Relying on AI for knowledge acquisition hinders the development of their capabilities."

Xiong said uniquely human skills such as imagination and creativity are becoming increasingly valuable in the face of rapid AI development.

Li Shangyi contributed to this story.