In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic fantasy but a present-day reality, our youth and teens are growing up surrounded by tools that can write essays, generate images, solve math problems, and even mimic human conversation. As AI becomes more integrated into everyday life, the question is not if our kids will use it, but when and how they will use it.
Our role as parents, caregivers, and educators isn’t to block or fear AI, it’s to help young people live with it, think critically about it, and, perhaps most importantly, use it to create meaningful contributions to the world rather than learning how to weaponize it.
AI can generate answers in seconds, but those answers aren’t always correct, ethical, or well-informed. That’s why critical thinking has never been more vital. Teens must learn to ask:
- Is this information accurate?
- Where did this data come from?
- Is there bias in the result and if so, what kind?
- What is the goal of this AI tool? Who benefits from its use?
We often assume that young people, who we see as as tech literate, will intuitively know how to navigate this space. But tech fluency is not the same as digital literacy. (1) We need to explicitly teach how to evaluate outputs, question algorithms, and understand that just because something looks true doesn’t mean it is true.
To be clear, AI isn’t a passing trend, something we have heard some adults echo. Whether it’s in education, healthcare, music, art, or social media, AI will continue shaping how we live, work, and think. Instead of focusing on fears of replacement, we should help youth and teens understand that AI is a tool, not a threat, if used properly.
Rather than viewing AI as a competitor, as same adults currently do concerned about their jobs being replaced with AI, we should encourage youth and teens to see it as a collaborator. When used thoughtfully, AI can support creativity, streamline tasks, and spark new ideas. By treating AI as a partner in the learning process, not just a shortcut or a replacement, students can enhance their own capabilities while maintaining a sense of agency and authorship. This collaborative mindset helps teens see AI as a tool that complements human thought rather than overriding it. (2)
It’s also important to normalize conversations about how AI is already being used in various industries. From marketing to medicine, entertainment to education, AI is reshaping how problems are solved and how work gets done. Talking about real-world applications makes the technology more relevant and helps students connect what they’re learning in the classroom to potential future careers. These discussions also open the door to exploring how AI is transforming the workforce, and what new skills might be needed in the years to come when it comes to a possible career choice.
At the same time, we must emphasize the ethical implications of using AI. Plagiarism, misinformation, weaponization, and digital dossiers are just as important now, if not more so, in an AI enabled world. Teens need to understand that while AI can generate content, they are still responsible for the accuracy, originality, and impact of what they produce. Teaching digital responsibility alongside AI literacy ensures that young people are not only capable users of technology but also thoughtful and ethical ones.
Living with AI also means teaching youth and teens how to set boundaries. Not every task needs a shortcut. Not every challenge needs to be optimized. Learning, struggling, and creating without AI is still valid and essential.
One of the most empowering ways for teens to engage with AI is by using it to create meaning, not just content. Whether they’re writing poetry with a language model, designing a game with AI-generated graphics, or using data tools to address social justice issues, meaningful engagement is where AI’s true value lies.
As educators and parents, we can ask:
- What are you making with AI, and why?
- How does it reflect your voice, your values, your vision?
- Are you using AI to solve problems that matter to you and your community?
Helping teens see AI not just as a crutch, but as a creative partner opens the door to innovation. The power of meaning lies not in what AI can do for them, but what they can do with it.
Parents and teachers may feel overwhelmed by the pace of AI innovation. But we don’t need to be AI experts, we need to be AI mentors. Our job is to guide conversations, model responsible behaviour, and nurture curiosity. We need to:
- Ask open-ended questions about their use of AI.
- Share articles or podcasts that explore ethical dilemmas in AI.
- Join them in exploring new tools, and learning from each other.
Let’s move away from the “protect and prevent” mindset and lean into the “prepare and empower” one, or as we like to say, a “pave the way” model. Youth and teens don’t need to be shielded from AI, they need to be supported in using it wisely.
We don’t know what the AI landscape will look like in 5 or 10 years, but we do know that curiosity, adaptability, and a sense of purpose will be critical in this area of digital literacy.
AI literacy isn’t just about knowing how to use tools, it’s about understanding the why, the when, and the what’s next. This kind of literacy requires more than technical skill; it requires wisdom, creativity, and resilience (the human element).
However, youth and teens should also be taught that the rise of artificial intelligence comes with significant environmental challenges that often go unnoticed in conversations focused on innovation and productivity.
Training and running large-scale AI models, image generators, or autonomous systems, requires immense computing power. This computing power depends on energy-intensive data centres filled with thousands of servers, which not only consume vast amounts of electricity but also generate significant heat, requiring extensive cooling systems, that means lots of water. According to some estimates, training a single large AI model can emit as much carbon as five cars over their entire lifetimes. (3) As AI tools become more embedded in everyday life, the environmental footprint of these systems will continue to grow unless meaningful changes are made.
Another challenge lies in the extraction and consumption of natural resources. The hardware that powers AI such as GPUs, semiconductors, and storage devices relies on rare earth minerals and materials that are often mined under environmentally damaging and ethically questionable conditions. Add to that the increasing e-waste from rapid hardware obsolescence, and we’re looking at a complex supply chain with long-term ecological impacts. To create a sustainable AI future, we must prioritize green computing practices, invest in renewable energy for data centres, and push for responsible sourcing of materials. For educators and parents, it’s an opportunity to instil awareness in young people about the unseen environmental costs of digital convenience, and to inspire them to be part of the solution.
As we navigate this new era shaped by artificial intelligence, the most powerful response we can offer as parents, caregivers, and educators, is not fear, but preparation. AI is not going away, it will continue to evolve, influence, and be integrated into nearly every aspect of life. What matters now is how we prepare our youth and teens to meet this reality with curiosity, critical thinking, and a strong ethical compass.
Youth and teens don’t need to be protected from AI, they need to be prepared to live with it, question it, and shape it. This means going beyond just teaching how to use AI tools, to guiding them in how to think about those tools. We must nurture a generation that not only understands what AI can do, but also what it should do, and when it shouldn’t.
This preparation includes helping youth and teens distinguish between tech fluency and tech literacy, encouraging them to ask the hard questions, and fostering a mindset that values original thought, responsibility, and meaningful creation. It means supporting them in seeing AI as a collaborative partner rather than a shortcut or substitute. It also means empowering them to set personal boundaries with technology, understanding that the value of struggle, reflection, and independent effort (the human element) remains just as important, if not more so, in an AI powered world.
Just as crucial is helping young people understand the broader, often overlooked consequences of AI, including its environmental and ethical implications. From the energy demands of massive data centres to the ecological toll of mining rare earth elements, the convenience of AI carries hidden costs. By teaching youth to look beyond the screen to the physical realities and sustainability challenges behind the digital tools they use, we can help them become not only responsible users but thoughtful stewards of technology.
Ultimately, AI literacy is about more than mastering code or tools, it’s about cultivating wisdom. It’s about helping youth and teens make sense of a rapidly changing world, to find their voice within it, and to use powerful technologies in ways that reflect their values and contribute positively to society.
We don’t need to have all the answers. But we do need to be present, engaged, and willing to learn alongside our youth. Together, we can prepare them not just to adapt to an AI-driven world, but to lead within it.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References:
1/ https://thewhitehatter.ca/blog/tech-literacy-vs-digital-literacy/
2/ https://www.k12dive.com/news/teens-embracing-ai-largely-not-for-cheating-survey/744797/
3/ https://www.mygreenlab.org/3blmedia.html?fdpgno=1&mid=1281101&pgno=87&utm_source=chatgpt.com
