Blog

PARENTING ADVICE U.S.A/Canada
Date
08 / 19 / 2026

AI Use and Our Kids


 

​As the new school year begins, many school districts have banned or decided to enforce a very strict policy regarding AI use in classrooms. Besides the negative implications of too much screen time on students’ social and mental health, why are so many schools limiting the use of AI?


  1. Why do we focus on the basic four operations in math instead of just using a calculator or a computer?


Many of us have memories of picking up a rudimentary calculator in 3rd or 4th grade and thinking, ‘My gosh, why weren’t we allowed to use this before?’ Why is it that the math teachers always force all the kids to learn and memorize times tables before handing out the calculators? There is a big difference between using a tool to expedite a mechanical process and using a tool to help us think. Calculators are useful only if we know what numbers and operations to put into them. If we do not know how to solve a math problem, having a calculator will not help. But now with AI, why do we need to know how to solve a math problem?


  1. Why do we bother learning how to write essays when AI can help us (very quickly) write coherent essays?


AI can now help us solve math problems and write essays. Do students still need to be able to write essays on their own or are we just wasting time focusing on things that can get done much faster with the help of AI? Here is a quote from a recent New York Times article:


“Last year, a small study from M.I.T. showed that individuals who wrote in partnership with A.I. chatbots recorded lower brain activity while they wrote, compared with those who worked without chatbots. The writers who used A.I. struggled to remember what, exactly, they had written, and felt little ownership over their work.


The findings join a growing body of research suggesting that frequent A.I. use can degrade critical thinking.”

If students are not taught to think critically and persevere through problems on their own, will they have the perseverance to overcome other obstacles in the future? If the students turn to AI the moment they don’t know the answer to a question, will their brains fully mature and reach their full potential? What do we lose by always using AI to solve problems? As we have these talks with our children, it is important to remember what it was like to not have access to AI and instant gratification. At some point, we all need to remember that sometimes it is good to take a circuitous route to find the answer.

 

Reference:

Goldstein, Dana. “What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing? - The New York Times.” The New York Times, 17 Aug. 2026, www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/us/student-writing-essays-ai.html.
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