Analyzing survey data from nationally representative samples of about 1,000 parents and approximately 1,800 teens (youth ages 12 to 18) through the RAND American Life Panel, the authors describe what parents and teens say about their artificial intelligence (AI) use, their perspectives concerning such use, and what parents tell their children about AI use for school or homework.
Topline
Parental AI habits and encouragement are contributing to an income-based gap in teens’ AI use for school or homework.
Artificial intelligence (AI) use is rising fast among U.S. parents and teens—but not equally. RAND researchers surveyed nationally representative samples of roughly 1,000 parents and 1,800 teens, tracking how their AI use and attitudes have changed from 2025 to 2026. They examine what parents tell their children about using AI for schoolwork and how teens perceive that guidance.
The findings reveal a widening divide: Higher-income parents are using AI more than lower-income parents and encouraging their teens to use it more, too. This disparate AI use potentially places at risk the academic performance of teens in higher-income families.
Key Takeaways
AI use grew fastest among parents earning $150,000 or more.
Over 15 months, the gap in AI use between the highest- and lowest-income families widened from 15 to 21 percentage points, driven by surging use among highest-income parents.
Higher-income parents encouraged teens to use AI the most.
Although most parents encouraged teens to use AI for schoolwork with restraint, 17 percent of the highest-income parents reported encouraging their children to use AI wherever possible within school rules.
Teens’ perceptions of parental encouragement predicted teens’ AI use.
Perceived parental support for AI use correlated more strongly with teens’ AI use than any other factor examined—including sex, family income, and parents’ perceptions of AI harms—except age.
Methodology
RAND researchers drew on four surveys administered through the RAND American Parents Panel and the RAND American Youth Panel, both subsets of the larger RAND American Life Panel, a nationally representative survey panel. Parent surveys were fielded in February 2025 and May 2026; teen surveys (of youth ages 12–18, enrolled in grades 5–12) were fielded in May 2025 and May 2026. Samples included approximately 1,000 parents and 1,800 teens. A subset of 533 teens was matched to 427 parents in the same household, enabling a dyadic analysis of within-family AI attitudes and behavior.
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Web-Only
- Year: 2026
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4742-5
- Document Number: RR-A4742-5
Citation
Chicago Manual of Style
Schwartz, Heather L. and Melissa Kay Diliberti, Higher-Income Parents Use AI More and Encourage Their Children to Do the Same. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4742-5.html.
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