More than three fourths of teens use AI to do their schoolwork — but it’s causing test scores to plunge as they rely on the tech “to think,” according to a new survey.
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they → use → survey
Meanwhile, Google is pushing to increase the use of its Gemini AI on school-issued Chromebook computers — which have become nearly universal in American classrooms.
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which → push → classrooms
A total of 70% of teens ages 13 to 17 said they use AI for homework and assignments in class — with 63% admitting they take the shortcut simply “to get answers,” according to a survey by Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute.
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they → say → Institute
Far fewer students, just 35%, said they use AI to “fix or improve” an answer they already know, according to the report.
“It slowed my thinking down,” Richard Scott, a 15-year-old from Pennsylvania, told The Wall Street Journal.
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Scott → say → Journal
“When I was in a test and I couldn’t use AI, it was hard to think.”
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it → use → AI
Scott said his algebra test scores dropped dramatically after he started relying on an AI search tool on his school-issued laptop to spit out answers while doing daily schoolwork.
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he → say → schoolwork
Though he got mostly B’s throughout the year, he failed his final, according to the paper.
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he → get → paper
The AI finding comes as Google’s ChromeOS, which features an AI tool, rolls out in classrooms globally— with 93% of schools reportedly planning to buy Chromebook laptops this year.
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% → come → laptops
Global and national test scores have meanwhile taken a historic nosedive in everything from math to reading comprehension, according to data released earlier this year.
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scores → take → data
Other teens said Google Chromebooks’ roll-out of AI software made them academically and emotionally dependent on the technology, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing more than 60 teachers, school officials, parents, and children interviewed.
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Journal → say → teachers
Kaitlyn Ruano, an Advanced Placement Art History teacher in Miami, Florida, said even top students’ test scores plunged after her school district made Google’s Gemini chatbot available to all high-schoolers last year.
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chatbot → say → schoolers
Ruano was stunned when a much larger number of kids than she’d expected failed the AP test — including ones who had been getting A’s and B’s in class.
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who → stun → class
“I had kids come to class after saying, ‘Miss, I had no clue what half the material was, I’m not going to lie to you.
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I → have → you
I’ve been using AI all year,’” she said.
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she → use → AI
Sophia Chatzigianni, 15, Fairfax County, Va., said her Human Geography and Algebra grades dropped after she started using AI to take shortcuts on her school-issued laptop.
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she → say → laptop
“The Google one was the biggest temptation, because it’s the easiest to access,” she said.
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she → ’ → ?
After she quit using AI on assignments, her grades improved, she said
Overall, AI and smartphone uses has contributed to a drop in reading skills worldwide with test scores falling, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
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scores → quit → Cooperation
Student test scores last year dropped to the lowest in 25 years on the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment, the world’s largest comparative education survey.
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scores → drop → Assessment
A report in May also revealed students are performing worse on tests than their peers did 10 years ago almost everywhere in America, according to data released by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford.
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peers → reveal → Stanford
Reading scores were down in 83% of school districts — regardless of wealth and racial demographics — while math scores were 70% according to the data.
“What’s really scary is that AI is working against the core craft of teaching: embracing critical thinking, developing curiosity, and making space to have dialogue,” said Yvette Renteria, a longtime teacher and principal and chief program officer at Common Sense Media.
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Renteria → accord → Media
“You can imagine a young person seeing mom use AI, seeing teachers use it, seeing leaders use it, and thinking, ‘Oh, that’s justifiable, it’s fine, it’s safe.
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it → imagine → it
Everybody else is using it.”
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Everybody → use → it
Google ChromeOS serves over 38 million students in K-12 schools globally, according to the technology and education website ommandlinux.com
In total, education accounted for more than 60% of Chromebook’ global market share in 2025, the outlet reported.
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outlet → serve → 2025
Even Google’s own researchers have admitted AI can pose risks to kids, who struggle to distinguish chatbots from human interaction, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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who → admit → Journal
The technology has potential to cause cognitive and emotional harm, according to interviews with current and former Google employees and dozens of Google research papers.
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technology → have → papers
“We’re doing this experiment on an entire generation on cognitive development, with no control group,” said Mikel Rodriguez, a former Google research scientist who left last year.
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who → do → group
“It’s really uncertain what that’s going to lead to in terms of learning.”
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that → ’ → learning
A Google spokeswoman said studies show AI tools paired with teacher-led instruction can improve the way students learn.
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students → say → way
“Teachers around the world use our technology every day because it solves real classroom challenges and helps improve learning outcomes,” she told The Wall Street Journal.
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she → use → Journal
The Aporia
