Children, Young People and AI
Discover what’s happening in Scotland and beyond.
The rise in use of AI technologies across society has sparked important discussions about their impact on children & young people. From children’s human rights to the evolving world of education and work, how can an increasingly digital world best serve the needs of those growing up within it?
How can AI be designed to protect and enhance the rights of children?
What are the potential risks that AI technologies pose to children & young people’s privacy and development?
What do young people need to know about AI?
Discover what people think, and share your own views here.
The Conversation
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"While AI is a force for innovation, it also poses risks for children and their rights, such as to their privacy, safety and security."
UNICEF
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"The question is not about banning children from using AI, but how to make it safe to help them get the most value from it."
Dr Nomisha Kurian
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"AI-driven advertising often targets young people with content that reinforces these unrealistic beauty standards."
The Children's Society
AI technologies are increasingly being used in educational settings, with proponents discussing the potential to make education more accessible and tailored to individual needs.
As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, ensuring that children and young people have the skills and AI literacy to navigate this new reality is crucial.
Understanding the ways in which AI underpins the content they see online, and the importance of privacy within this datafied world, will be key to ensuring safety & security.
Ensuring that AI technologies used by and for children & young people are designed with their best interests in mind is critical.
The best way to do this is to ensure that children and young people have the opportunity to have a say in all stages of AI policy and product design and development.
Adults can help with this by listening and amplifying what children & young people think about AI.
What’s happening in Scotland?
Exploring Children’s Rights & AI
Children’s Parliament have been delivering a project in partnership with the Scottish AI Alliance & The Alan Turing Institute that explores the impact of AI technologies on children’s human rights.
Children’s Parliament are the expert organisation in Scotland dedicated to championing children’s voices, and work to implement the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child within Scottish Society.
This long-term project is still ongoing, and you can find out more about it on our project page.
Data Education in Schools
‘Data Education in Schools’ is a UK and Scottish Government funded project to teach data literacy and data citizenship skills to learners ages 3-18 years old in the Edinburgh and surrounding area.
It is an eight year project that aims to reach all learners within the six local authorities of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.
They have a suite of resources available, with a focus on Generative AI in education settings.
Young Scot’s DigiKnow
Young Scot is Scotland’s national youth information platform. Their DigiKnow campaign contains some great information about AI, and how it is being used.
You can also follow them on social media to keep up to date on issues around AI for young people.
What’s happening across the world?
Teens in AI
Teens in AI was launched at the UN AI For Good Global Summit with the mission to create pipelines for underrepresented talent, improving diversity and inclusion in Artificial Intelligence.
It offers young people aged 11-19 early exposure to AI for social good through a combination of expert mentoring, talks, workshops and more.
AI in LA Schools
The Los Angeles school district rolled out an AI chatbot that was intended to be used in education across many different aspect of the school life - from grades, transport, attendance and learning.
When the AI company collapsed, so did the project - with the future of the children’s data gathered in using the system unknown.
What do you think?
You can add your voice to the conversation by letting us know what you think.
Are there issues you think should be discussed more? Tell us!
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