HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Children are spending hours online every day and increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for quick answers. A new report from a Connecticut nonprofit suggests that dependence is putting teens at risk.
For Wendy, a grandmother from Rocky Hill, the amount of time kids spend online carries concern.
“Kids get technology way too young and they’re not taught how to do normal tasks without it. My son who is 28 can do math in his head. My grandson who is 14 cannot,” Wendy said.
Report finds knowledge gap
Her concerns came as Connecticut-based nonprofit Digital Defenders releases its first annual youth risk report. While kids are using AI and social media more than ever, the report finds a knowledge gap.
More than 86 percent of respondents called AI misinformation a top threat to kids. Less than half have received any formal training to spot it.
Also, nearly 1 in 5 teens reported being harassed on apps like TikTok and Instagram.
Founder warns of risk
Marcus Pierre, founder and executive director of Digital Defenders, warned that without proper education, kids and teens are at risk.
“It’s kind of like driving a car without a license almost where if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re more likely to fall into danger. So by kids being online so often and being able to use these AI tools so often, it puts them in harms way more than it should unfortunately,” Pierre said.
Pierre said popular platforms are engineered to create over-reliance, hooking teens before they develop critical thinking.
“By having these different things that are constantly hitting you and giving you dopamine hits, to even when you are not using the app to constantly remind you to go back to the app, this is all setting kids up to become reliant on these tools,” Pierre said.
Wendy said the cycle of reliance is stripping away basic independence.
“They’ll never be able to figure things out by themselves. I want to say they have no common sense truly because they don’t have to think about anything. They just punch it in something and it gives them an answer,” Wendy said.
What experts recommend
Digital Defenders said parents need to educate themselves.
The nonprofit also said tech companies and policymakers have a responsibility to add safeguards and restrictions for children online.
Here’s how parents and kids can protect themselves.
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