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More Students Use AI for Homework, and More Believe It Harms Critical Thinking: Selected Findings from the American Youth Panel. Research Report. RR-A4742-1

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Title: More Students Use AI for Homework, and More Believe It Harms Critical Thinking: Selected Findings from the American Youth Panel. Research Report. RR-A4742-1
Language: English
Authors: Heather L. Schwartz, Melissa Kay Diliberti, RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure
Source: RAND Corporation. 2026.
Availability: RAND Corporation. P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138. Tel: 877-584-8642; Tel: 310-451-7002; Fax: 412-802-4981; e-mail: order@rand.org; Web site: http://www.rand.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Gates Foundation
Intended Audience: Administrators; Policymakers
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
High Schools
Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Artificial Intelligence, Technology Uses in Education, Homework, Adolescents, Young Adults, Middle School Students, High School Students, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills, Barriers, Cheating, Age Differences, Gender Differences, College Students, Standards, Teacher Role
DOI: 10.7249/RRA4742-1
Abstract: In nationally representative surveys of American youth, increasing shares of middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students reported using artificial intelligence (AI) for help with their homework over the course of 2025. At the same time, these students reported substantial ambiguity in how to navigate their growing use of AI in the school environment. That most students who use AI worry about its impacts should be a call to action for educators. To help school principals, school district superintendents, and state department of education leaders create or revise their guidance for students' allowed use of AI for schoolwork, the authors fielded their most comprehensive set of questions to date about students' AI use to learn how and why youth are using AI for school-related purposes. This report presents selected findings from 1,214 youth between the ages of 12 and 29 who completed the December 2025 survey of the RAND American Youth Panel. Trends over time for some questions reoccurring from earlier surveys (February 2025 and May 2025) are also shown, as well as results by grade level and gender. Drawing from this analysis, the authors recommend ways in which schools can help ensure that students' AI use enhances their learning process instead of replacing it.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED680495
Database: ERIC
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  Data: In nationally representative surveys of American youth, increasing shares of middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students reported using artificial intelligence (AI) for help with their homework over the course of 2025. At the same time, these students reported substantial ambiguity in how to navigate their growing use of AI in the school environment. That most students who use AI worry about its impacts should be a call to action for educators. To help school principals, school district superintendents, and state department of education leaders create or revise their guidance for students' allowed use of AI for schoolwork, the authors fielded their most comprehensive set of questions to date about students' AI use to learn how and why youth are using AI for school-related purposes. This report presents selected findings from 1,214 youth between the ages of 12 and 29 who completed the December 2025 survey of the RAND American Youth Panel. Trends over time for some questions reoccurring from earlier surveys (February 2025 and May 2025) are also shown, as well as results by grade level and gender. Drawing from this analysis, the authors recommend ways in which schools can help ensure that students' AI use enhances their learning process instead of replacing it.
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      – SubjectFull: Artificial Intelligence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technology Uses in Education
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      – SubjectFull: Homework
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      – SubjectFull: Young Adults
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      – SubjectFull: Middle School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Critical Thinking
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