In the UK, Four Out of Five Teens Already Use Gen AI

11/28/23—Teen use of gen AI is shockingly high in the UK, according to Ofcom UK's latest report on tech usage. "Four in five (79%) online teenagers aged 13-17 now use generative AI tools and services, with a significant minority of younger children aged 7-12 also adopting the technology (40%)."

That compares to 31% of UK online adults 16+ (yes, there's a bit of overlap in the stats).

Here are a few more eye-opening stats from the report:

1️⃣ Snapchat's My AI is a winner among kids and teens.

"Snapchat My AI - which became freely available to all Snap users in April 2023 - is the most popular generative AI tool among children and teens, used by half (51%) of online 7–17-year-olds. Online teenage girls are its most avid users (75%)."

2️⃣ Most internet users in the UK use genAI for fun (58%).

"Internet users aged 16+ are finding their way around this nascent technology. Most simply use generative AI for fun (58%), a third use it for work (33%) while a quarter (25%) turn to it for help with their studies."

3️⃣ People are using genAI even though they know there are risks.

"But internet users are also conscious of the potential risks of generative AI, with over half (58%) concerned about its future impact on society. Interestingly, the most prolific users of generative AI among this broader group – the online 16–24-year-olds - are also most likely to be worried about its societal implications (67%)."