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Is AI harmful? Parents, educators & students weigh in

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Is AI harmful? Parents, educators & students weigh in

Why we asked this question

AI, and especially AI in education, has already started to impact our lives in many ways. What is more important, it is already impacting our loved ones, our children. Many parents and teachers are concerned about this impact and are not sure how to handle it. If adults use AI to solve their "office" problems, for instance, children use AI to do their homework. And this is an issue. Children are not adults; they are still learning and developing their minds. And if they use AI to solve their homework problems, they will not develop their minds (this is a common opinion). University students falsify their homework and essay assignments. School children who are less mature simply copy and paste the answers from programs like ChatGPT.


Actually, there is a risk that children will not be able to think and solve problems on their own.

The problem and the goal are closely connected. The problem is that children may use AI in education as a replacement for their own thinking and for the support of a human teacher. The goal is to understand how AI can help children learn, practice mathematics, complete homework, and ask questions without doing the learning or logical thinking for them


Our perspective and its limits

MathWill is a project founded by a group of parents. And we believe we understand what we do. But we also recognize that our perspective is limited. So, we invested plenty of time and conducted extensive research to gather insights from a broader range of parents, teachers, and students across the globe.


We are not professional surveyors, and our research should be understood in this context. But we tried our best to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information we gathered.


We could hire professional market research firms, but we chose to engage directly with the community. Thankfully, we have friends and colleagues who helped us connect with various respondents and facilitated the data collection process. The idea seemed brilliant, but it took a lot of time.


The methodology we applied was very simple: just call your friends or message them, ask them to participate in the survey, and ask them to reshare the questionnaire. Because these contacts were personal, the results we obtained are trusted and reliable.


Survey

Methodology

The methodology we applied was based on the next key principles:

  • personal contacts and honest responses from friends and acquaintances, friends of friends.
  • absolutely voluntary participation.
  • gender, race, age diversity.
  • geographic and language diversity.

The research included participants from the United States, Europe, Russia/CIS, East Asia. This geographic scope allowed us to compare perspectives from communities with different school systems, languages, access to teachers and education materials. Also, we do admit we could not reach out to every possible region and community, which may limit the accuracy of our findings.

Please forgive us for not disclosing all the results of the survey. Some findings and details we prefer to keep out of the public domain. We also respect the data privacy of our respondents and will not publish information that can be used to identify them.

Note: if the reader still interested in particular findings or details, they can contact us directly via the "contact form."


Groups of respondents


Respondents by occupation

Chart: respondents by occupation

Summary

  • In total, there were 1,442 respondents.
  • 737 for parents and guardians, 517 for students, 118 for respondents who asked not to share their occupation, and 70 for teachers and tutors.
  • Educators are not only math or science teachers; they include a variety of subject experts who contribute to the overall education of children such as language and social studies teachers.

To be honest, parents' opinion is highly important because they are the ones who are directly responsible for their children's education. Teachers are also parents, but they are primarily seen in their professional role.


Age distribution of student respondents


Student respondents by ages

Chart: student respondents by age


  • The chart displays 517 student respondents.
  • Their age distribution is 118 respondents aged 11-14 (22.8%), 70 aged 15-16 (13.5%), 259 aged 17-19 (50.1%)
  • 47 aged 20-30 (9.1%), and 23 aged 41 or older (4.4%). We were excited to see that some parents or people who are no longer students still continue to engage with educational content and even school books. They decided to put themselves into students' shoes once again and complete the survey. So, education never ends! This group also includes university or college students.

The most exciting survey finding

Young adults or persons who are close to final school examinations demonstrated high motivation in using AI as a helper. Not as a blind answer + question tool or yet another Google like system. These respondents mostly would like to be coached rather then provided with answers that can be copied and pasted.


Is AI Harmful? Perspectives from parents and teachers

Parents' opinion

The answer seems to be obviously simple but it is not simple. Before we answer the question which represents a common opinion among many parents who participated in the survey, we need to understand problems that we are trying to solve as parents.


We as parents want to provide a better education to our children. But we face many obstacles here. For a moment let's forget about motivation of kids, they are kids and all kids without any doubts are not always motivated to learn. This is just a fact. Let's just imagine that we have a kid who is motivated to study.


In the majority of cases, there are a couple of problems that all parents face. They are clearly visible on the surface:

  1. Availability of teachers and the expertise that they possess. Try to find a good tutor or a mentor. That's a challenge. And even if you find a good tutor, the next problem is that the tutor is not always available.
  2. The 2nd problem is the budget limitation. An experienced tutor could be expensive. And everytime you need to balance between the quality of the teacher, the budget that you have and the time that you can afford to pay for.
  3. Time is another problem. Your kid is still a kid. Children must have time to play, spend time with friends, have a social life and of course dream! You cannot dream if your mind is constantly occupied with something.

Note: the current generation of youngsters has an additional problem that they are constantly distracted by technology and social media, which further limits their time and focus for learning.

Alright, having enumerated the obstacles and distractions, now let's answer the question which the authors of the current article have discussed many times with the school teachers, math tutors and other parents. The question is: "Is AI harmful for the education of children?"


Please make a pause for now - the answer is not that simple... The answer is yes, if AI is used as a replacement for teachers and a tool that simply provides children with the answers so that they don't think and don't train their minds.


But the answer is no, if AI is used as a tool to help teachers and students. This is answer is not only related to the education. Nowadays, it is relevant to all aspects of our life. We must master this technology and use it to our advantage.


What AI could help with is to provide a better learning experience for children. Let's review the questions that we raised above.

  1. AI can comprehend a real teacher. It is a machine and always will be. A teacher can create a methodology, a curriculum and an individual plan for the student. Then, AI can be used to implement this plan and methodology and make sure that students are following it. Children do want to talk to a real human person. This is absolutely true. But at the same moment some children are shy and prefer not to ask questions because sometimes questions can raise concerns about their understanding of the subject. And children tend to afraid of being judged. AI removes that fear and gives children a safe space to ask anything.
  2. Money is a problem. AI will not replace a teacher, but it can reduce the cost of teaching and learning by imitating a teacher and following the plan created by a human.
  3. Time. You can afford to pay for a teacher to teach your child for several hours a week. But even 5 hours a week is not enough. Children need to practice and paying for a real teacher just to practice could be expensive. AI can help with this problem. Just lets dive into the practice deeper. Usually practice requires answering many questions of solving similar problems. Not always solutions for similar problems are the same in the way they are solved. In such cases, AI can help children to understand the differences and similarities between the problems and their solutions. A clarification especially if it is expressed in simple words is very important for children. Our precious little ones are not always able to think in abstract terms. These gaps usually are closed by a human teacher. The same can be done by AI.


Based on the survey responses from the parents who participated in our study, their opinions can be summarized as follows:

  • AI should be backed by real teachers: 97% of parents considered this necessary, at least for some functions.
  • Self practice in a chosen area of study: 81% of parents considered this necessary.
  • AI should help follow a chosen plan: 74% of parents considered this necessary.
  • Parent control (reports, settings, academic performance): 90% of parents considered this necessary.

These results suggest that the surveyed parents wanted educational AI to remain connected to real teachers, to support independent practice, and to stay visible and controllable by parents. They want AI that works together with real teachers, helps kids practice, follows a plan, and still leaves control in their hands.


Bottom line:

  • So, is AI bad for the kids? Not by itself. AI turns bad only when it just gives the answer and the child stops thinking. But when we use it the right way, AI is good for our kids: it can follow the plan a teacher made, cost much less than a real teacher, and let our kids practice any time they want.

Teachers' opinion

The role of a teacher

First of all, let us redefine the role of a teacher. Certainly, the definition of a teacher's role differs across countries and cultures. For now, let us quote what UNESCO says about the role of a teacher:

1. A teacher covers all the individual dedicated to facilitating learning and fostering intellectual growth in students.

2. Teacher education refers to the comprehensive process of preparing individuals to become effective educators. This field encompasses various components, including pedagogical theory, instructional methods, classroom management, and assessment strategies. Teachers who are properly trained, supported, and recognized play a crucial role in ensuring quality education for every learner.

Sources:

So, teachers help next generations to grow and develop their intelligence and skills. Both are important!


Findings from teacher interviews and survey results as numbers

Teachers are concerned about the impact of AI on education. One of their greatest concerns is cheating. Several of the teachers we interviewed described cheating as a long-standing problem in education, not something new to this generation of students. What has changed, in their view, is the ease of access to tools that make cheating possible. We report this as the perspective shared with us by an educator during our research, rather than as a general statement or claim about children across all times.


Teachers were children once too. But in their time, it was not that easy to cheat. Their generation did not have advanced gadgets and technologies such as the internet and AI. They were less distracted by social media and YouTube. Even calculators were forbidden in the classroom. It was easier to focus on learning.


Now, let's get back to the current reality. Nowadays, it is easier to learn and, at the same time, it is easier to cheat. Even washing machines are connected to the internet. AI is steadily becoming a part of our lives; it is already a part of it. It is becoming more and more advanced. One advantage of AI is that it can provide answers to more and more questions, including homework. Not only children but also adults tend to think less and rely on the latest technologies to obtain answers. Children's intelligence is still developing, and the extra efforts they put into learning and thinking help them develop their intelligence, minds, and skills. If children rely on something they have not developed through their own efforts, they will be less prepared for their future. And this is the main concern of teachers.


Based on the survey responses from the teachers who participated in our study, their opinions can be summarized as follows:

  • AI should be controlled by teachers and parents: 100% of teachers considered this absolutely necessary. Teachers believe that parents should actively participate in monitoring and guiding their children's use of AI tools.
  • Exam and test simulation: 100% of teachers believe that AI can effectively simulate exams and tests, but it should not contradict the guidance of human teachers.
  • AI should not provide direct answers but should instead guide students: 46%.
  • AI can support independent practice: 70% of teachers considered this necessary.

These results suggest that the surveyed teachers wanted educational AI to remain connected to human teaching, with guidance from teachers and oversight from parents.


Interpretation

Teachers believe that AI should be used as a supplementary tool to enhance learning, rather than replace traditional teaching methods. They emphasize the importance of human interaction in the learning process and the need for students to engage in problem-solving and critical thinking activities. AI is an artificial intelligence literally, and the role of an intelligence is to help students develop their own intelligence. Not replace it. Teachers mostly don't provide answers to students' questions, they teach students how to find answers themselves. If AI can guide our beloved ones, then it is not a problem. But if AI does it for them, then it makes sense reconsider its role.


Institutional opinion

European Union / Council of Europe

One of the most important principles is that education is a human right. Education should be accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, geographic location, or other factors.

For instance European Comission of Education defines the following principle on its home page:

Removing barriers to learning and improving access to quality education for all.

Source: https://education.ec.europa.eu/


The Commission does not stop at that one sentence, either. It also runs a Digital Education Action Plan and publishes ethical guidelines for educators on using AI in the classroom. So even at the EU level, AI in education is treated as something that needs guardrails, not just a shiny new tool.

Source: https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/actions/plan/ethical-guidelines-for-educators-on-using-artificial-intelligence


For instance, see how the European Union and Council of Europe defines the role of AI in education:

  • AI systems have the potential to play a transformative role in achieving these goals. Through personalized learning pathways, real-time feedback mechanisms, and innovative teaching methodologies, AI can cater to diverse learning needs and ensure that no one is left behind.

Source: https://www.coe.int/en/web/education/artificial-intelligence


The mentioned resource provide plenty of research papers and recommendations on how to use AI in education. We are not trying to bias the reader, please. Let us just quite a document which is perfectly aligned with the current article.

And it is available at the following link: https://rm.coe.int/policy-brief-14/1680b6942d


This document, a preparatory study on regulating AI in education, admits the same thing we have been saying throughout this article: AI can genuinely help with personalised learning and can make teachers' administrative work easier. But it also warns that this comes with real risks to children's rights, to data privacy, to educational equity, and to democratic values. In the study's own words, most AI systems used in education today are untested at scale, often work like opaque "black boxes," and get built into schools' digital systems without proper oversight. This is exactly the kind of AI use we, as parents, are worried about. Not AI itself, but AI without anyone watching it. Two points from this document deserve their own mention.


Academic integrity

The Council of Europe study places academic integrity right next to human rights and child protection as one of the areas that needs the most protection. In simple words: AI should be designed to support fair, unbiased assessment of what a child actually knows, not to make it easier for a child to fake that they know something. This matches what the teachers we interviewed told us in the previous chapter: cheating is not new, but AI made it much easier, and any serious use of AI in schools has to deal with that problem directly.

"Personalized learning" and social scoring

Personalized learning is presented as one of AI's biggest promises for education, and we agree with that promise, as long as a real teacher stays behind the plan. But the Council of Europe's own experts point out that the same technology that personalises a lesson for a child carries a real risk of surveillance, profiling, and automated decision-making. They call for decisions about a child to stay in the hands of a human, not an algorithm. For us, this is a good and necessary line: AI can adapt to how a child learns, but it should never turn into a system that quietly watches, sorts, or scores that child.


United States

Our research also included respondents from the United States, so it is only fair to look at what the picture looks like there too. We could not find a single resource of law like the one the Council of Europe is building, but the underlying idea is close to everything we have been saying in this article.


Federal guidance

There is no US federal law dedicated to AI in education, only guidance. The U.S. Department of Education released a toolkit for school leaders in October 2024, and followed it in July 2025 with a letter clarifying that federal grant money can be used for AI in three areas: instructional materials, tutoring, and college and career advising.

What is interesting for us, as parents, is not the funding rules but the principles attached to them. The Department's own letter says AI in schools must be "educator-led":

  • AI "should support teachers, tutors, advisors, and education leaders," not replace them. It also asks educational institutions to help students "learn with rather than exclusively from – AI," and it requires systems to be "transparent and explainable," so that parents, can "understand how systems function and participate meaningfully in decisions about the adoption and deployment of new technologies." Sounds familiar? Indeed. It is basically the same conclusion we, and the parents and teachers surveyed in the previous chapters, already reached on our own.

Source: https://www.ed.gov/media/document/opepd-ai-dear-colleague-letter-7222025-110427.pdf


State-level rules

Since there is no single federal AI law, each state writes its own rules for AI in education. By 2026, more than 35 US states had given schools some kind of AI guidance, and a few states went further and turned that guidance into law. Tennessee, for instance, passed a law in 2024 that requires every school district and every charter school to write its own AI policy. Illinois passed a similar AI education law in 2025, and it asked the state board of education to write one guidance document for every school in the state. The board published it the following year.

This is close to the opposite of what the Council of Europe wants to build: one set of AI rules for every member country. In the US, every state can write its own rules, and in Tennessee's case, every district can too. So the same question, what counts as fair AI use, what counts as cheating, how a child's data stays private, can get a different answer depending on which state, or even which district, a child's school sits in.

Our survey covered parents, teachers, and students from many countries and many school systems, and this state-by-state picture matches what we already suspected: it seems there is no single, universal rulebook for AI in education anywhere yet, not in the US, not in Europe. But almost everyone we talked to, parents, teachers, and now lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic, seems to agree on the same basic point: AI in the classroom needs guardrails, and a real teacher or tutor should stay in charge.

Sources:


The authors attitude

AI should never replace a human teacher and we hope that it will never happen. Humans should be taught by humans. This is what makes humans humans. Educational AI is a tool, like a hammer or a calculator. You could try to nail a nail with a hammer or you could try to calculate long numbers without a calculator, or still can use clay tables to write texts. We don't do it anymore. Why? Because tools make us stronger and more efficient.

Education and teaching is a social connection between humans. Machines can and should comprehend it, but not more.


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