Parents in Singapore are moderately concerned about the risks to teens from using Generative AI tools, but less than half had talked with their teen about these risks. This is a key finding from a recent a survey of 905 parents conducted by CEI, commissioned by Google Singapore.
The study asked parents about their and their teen’s familiarity with and use of Generative AI tools available free on the internet, as well as their attitudes and concerns about this new technology.
“Our findings show these tools have rapidly been integrated into day-to-day life for young people and their families,” says Dr Jean Liu, CEI Director in Singapore.
“We found that 8 in 10 young people aged 13 to 17 are using Generative AI at least once a week, with almost 70% of that use for homework or school-related tasks. And six in 10 parents had supported their teen in the use of Generative AI, particularly in the context of school homework.”
The data shows 62% of teens are aware that Generative AI may involve potentially wrong or misleading information, and 60% are aware the information may be biased; although teens are less aware of the risk that AI content may be plagiarised (41%).
“Parents are talking with their teens about AI,” says Jean. “We found that 61% had engaged in a conversation about the nature and capabilities of this new technology. However, only 47% had talked with their young people about what they view as risks.”
“In our study, parents responded with moderate levels of concern (ranging 7.0-7.6 out of 10) when asked about the potential for their teen to become over-reliant on AI, to fall prey to scams or cyber-bullying, to believe false information, to have photographs manipulated, or to plagiarise other people’s content,” Jean explains.
“And 16% of parents believed their teens had edited someone’s photograph or video using Generative AI software.”
Balancing these concerns is parents’ confidence their teen knows how to identify AI-created content, respond to harmful content, and check the authenticity of sensational images (ratings of 7.1-7.4 out of 10).
“We also found that three in five parents believe their teen is already aware of risks associated with AI, and half assume schools are addressing the topic,” Jean notes. “Overall, parents feel moderately confident they know enough to help their teenager stay safe online, which is encouraging.”
“Proactive discussion with and guidance from parents continues to be of central importance as new technologies emerge. This is as true in our digital and online lives – possibly more so – as in our real-world, everyday living.”
The survey “Navigating the impact of AI on teen internet safety survey” was undertaken in December 2024. The sample of 905 parents (each with at least one child aged 13-17) was broadly representative of the Singapore population.