91% of teenagers are already using AI without support!

TECgirls calls for investment in AI education as our new AI Attitudes Report shows that most young people are learning about artificial intelligence alone at home.

While the national conversation continues to focus on keeping children safe online, our new research suggests another digital revolution is happening largely unnoticed. As a part of our work over the past 12 months, we spoke to more than 580 young people aged 13–16 across Cornwall, research that formed our first ever AI Attitudes Report. The report found that 91% are already using artificial intelligence, with 80% doing so primarily at home rather than at school. The findings raise questions about whether education and policy are keeping pace with a technology that has already become part of everyday life for most teenagers.

The report also found:

• 91% of young people have already used AI.

• 80% use it at home, compared with just 10% in the classroom.

• 62% use AI to help with homework.

• 32% admit lying to parents or teachers about using AI.

• 29% have seen AI used to create harmful content.

• 85% believe they should be allowed to use AI in school.

• 87% believe AI will affect their future careers.

For our team the findings point to a growing gap between how young people are actually using AI and how adults are responding to it. For years we've debated social media and online safety. Meanwhile, AI has quietly become part of everyday life for almost every teenager we work with. The difference is that most young people aren't learning about AI in school. They're experimenting at home, often without guidance, support or anyone helping them understand what responsible AI use looks like.

These findings come as Government sets out plans for a modern curriculum designed to equip young people with the skills needed for life and work in an increasingly digital economy. However, we are concerned that they are missing the very real threats posed by AI.

Our research shows that investment into education and support for young people is more important than ever. They're already using AI every day and are making decisions about when to trust it, how to use it for school work, and how to respond when they encounter harmful content. The question isn't if they use AI. It's if they'll learn to use it well.

The report also highlights important differences in how girls and boys are experiencing AI. Although adoption rates are almost identical, girls are significantly more likely to use AI for homework and research, while boys explore a wider range of AI platforms. Girls also report lower confidence in their AI skills and are much less optimistic about AI's future impact. Just 8.7% of girls believe AI will make the world better, compared with 26.4% of boys.

We firmly believe that without earlier intervention these differences risk becoming tomorrow's workforce gap. With over 62% of students using AI to do their homework in secondary schools, there is a larger fundamental question about if they are outsourcing their learning to AI.

However, we are not recommending a ban on AI within schools. Instead we are calling for investment in structured AI education pathways that help young people become confident, responsible users of the technology.

In addition to running the Cornwall AI in Education Summit with Truro High for the past three years, we are actively developing pathways including AI Explorers and Future Engineers, designed to help young people understand not only how AI works, but how to question it, challenge it and use it responsibly. This will compliment the work we've already been doing around AI with our Cyber Guardians Pathways. Critically these programmes start in primary school and carry on through to providing work experience opportunities for 16-20 year olds.

But we can't do this alone. At the moment these pathways are not funded. Despite these being one the largest challanges the world is facing, funding funding to help young people navigate these issues has been difficult. We're looking for employers and government initiatives who recognise that supporting programmes that reach young people today is an investment in the skilled, ethical workforce they'll need tomorrow.

The full TECgirls 2026 AI Attitudes Report is available now and forms part of the organisation's wider campaign to build ethical AI education pathways for girls and young people across the South West.