Article · Children’s Media Conference 2025
How kids are using AI daily in 2025
In just a few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has crept into everyday life and kids have quickly realised the opportunities it brings, with nearly 1 in 2 kids in the UK aged 6-15 reporting their excitement about AI and 1 in 3 kids reporting it’s now a daily habit.
AI and kids
AI excitement and usage in the UK follows a fascinating age curve:
- 6-8 years:47% are excited about AI, 46% report already using AI tools.
- 9-12 years:excitement dips to 34% (usage 38%).
- 13-15 years:excitement jumps to 51% (usage 49%).
One in three kids report utilising ChatGPT, DALL·E or Copilot and many more are likely using a variety of AI tools without even realising it, such as voice assistants, smart filters for their photos and videos, recommendation algorithms and chatbots.
Over 50% are using these tools for homework help, 47% just for fun, 25% of 13-to-15-year-olds are creating content to share and 14% of 6–8‑year‑olds, whilst across the same ages 27% are creating their own video content and 9%. Greater accessibility and ease of use in AI tools are empowering even the youngest users to dive into content creation, likely to fundamentally shift kids’ media futures, expectations and even careers.
AI excitement and usage among UK kids
By age band
| Age band | Excited about AI | Already using AI tools |
|---|---|---|
| 6–8 years | 47% | 46% |
| 9–12 years | 34% | 38% |
| 13–15 years | 51% | 49% |
Source: The Insights Family. Kids UK, ages 6–15, 2025, presented at Children’s Media Conference 2025.
Platforms and preferences: where kids spend time is where AI will thrive
Kids’ excitement and usage of AI tools mirrors a shift from passive users to proactive creators, enriching the platforms they are most active on. These break down into three clear playgrounds:
- Content consumption:YouTube takes the lead, as 60% of UK kids watch it daily, with music videos being all age groups’ most watched content. Video AI tools like Sora and Veo 3, together with AI music generators like Suno, let kids create and share their video and audio creations on the same platform, maximising reach.
- Creative playground:The gaming space is also an exciting playground for young AI creators: Roblox and Minecraft, which strongly rely on user-generated content, are 6-to-15-year-olds’ favourite games and are increasingly adopting ways to let kids create their own in-game assets.
- Social expression:The one platform where both kids and adults have likely shared or at least come across user-generated AI content is social media, with TikTok being kids’ top choice – peaking at 57% daily usage among 13-to-15-year-olds.
These ecosystems, where kids already spend much of their time and where AI features are most likely to be embedded, scale and evolve quickly. Brands must remain vigilant to these shifts to anticipate and adapt to their potential impact on the media landscape.
Where UK kids spend their time
Content consumption, creative playground and social expression
| Platform | Daily usage |
|---|---|
| YouTube (content consumption) | 60% |
| TikTok, ages 13–15 (social expression) | 57% |
Source: The Insights Family. Kids UK, ages 6–15, 2025. Roblox and Minecraft cited as top games for user-generated content; base sizes vary by measure.
The risks kids see in AI
However, AI doesn’t come without risks. Despite high excitement, nearly half of all kids harbour concerns:
- Girlsworry about creativity loss and weaker social bonds.
- Boysfear skill erosion and future job displacement.
- Allshare anxiety over over-relying on AI systems. These should provide skill enhancement, rather than skill replacement.
On top of the above, at least 1 in 5 report they have not spoken to anyone – a parent, teacher or friend – about AI.
Building a safer AI environment
This requires platforms, parents, schools and the industry itself to cooperate to create an ethical and safe environment for kids to engage with AI tools safely:
- Design age-appropriate, privacy-first AI interfaces.Embed clear, kid-safe defaults and transparent data practices.
- Elevate “human + AI” storytelling.Showcase creators (or even characters) working alongside AI, so kids see tools as collaborators instead of replacements.
- Embed AI literacy into platforms, classrooms and homes.Partner with educators and influencers to teach foundational creative skills alongside tool-specific know-how.
By educating kids on the role of AI as a co-creator to enhance rather than replace their creative skills, organisations and content creators can empower this next generation of innovators, ensuring that kids not only wield tomorrow’s technology but also safeguard the very creativity that makes us human.
These insights were originally presented by Adam Woodgate, VP Research Solutions of The Insights Family, at the Children’s Media Conference in July 2025.Download our full data and presentation slides here.
