Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers emphasize benefits and risks of generative AI at different stages of childhood development

(Press-News.org) Philadelphia, March 4, 2026 – The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), able to produce text, images and video on demand, has grown exponentially in recent years. While its applications for personal and professional use continue to expand, many have questions about how children might be interacting with this technology. In a new state of the review article, researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) describe the potential benefits and risks to children and adolescents and how these might vary over different age groups. Their findings were published today in the journal Pediatrics and have profound implications for parenting.

Children and adolescents are using generative AI more regularly, with a 2025 study finding that 72% of American adolescents have used AI chatbots as companions. Ongoing efforts are being made to encourage thoughtful policy development and establish guardrails that help prevent harmful output from generative AI, but these safeguards are imperfect. Parents and caregivers should guide their children on responsible use of novel technologies like generative AI, but in a rapidly advancing field, researchers wanted to ensure parents and pediatricians understood special considerations related to the opportunities and risks posed by generative AI.

“It is critical to emphasize that AI is a tool, not a companion, and we need to make sure we are instilling healthy AI literacy and social development in children,” said author Robert Grundmeier, MD, Section Chief of Informatics and acting Chief Research Informatics Officer in the Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at CHOP. “Children, particularly in early and middle childhood, may not be able to distinguish between AI and human interaction and are at risk of developing incorrect mental models of social relationships if they view AI as a friend. It’s important that pediatricians and parents understand where generative AI should be fitting into a developing child’s life.”

The review found that the potential benefits and risks of AI vary among different age groups, with specific considerations for early childhood (0-5 years), middle childhood (6-11 years) and adolescence (12 years and older):

In early childhood, interactive AI storytelling can help support language development and vocabulary, but children of this age might have difficulty distinguishing between AI and human interaction. The researchers emphasize that at this age, human interaction should be prioritized, and parents should view AI content alongside children to facilitate discussions over what they are viewing. In middle childhood, generative AI could be used for personalized learning experiences and potentially address learning gaps and have the potential to facilitate creative expression through art and writing. However, children in this age group may have difficulty identifying misinformation generated by AI and be tempted to use AI for completing homework assignments. Parents should foster a questioning attitude toward AI and encourage open discussion. In adolescence, AI can advance digital literacy skills, help with college selection, and some literature suggests that AI companionship might be able to address loneliness, but dependence on AI companionship can decrease face-to-face social interactions. Alarmingly, AI may lack the necessary guardrails and respond inappropriately to questions related to mental health or suicide. Families should address boundaries of AI use and should not view AI as a replacement for adolescents developing their own socialization and critical thinking skills. Pediatric caregivers can emphasize the importance of close supervision of AI interactions for younger children and shared review of AI-generated content, and parents should understand that AI generated information might be helpful but is no replacement for human expertise or clinical judgment. Parents should keep a critical eye on any AI-generated information and instill those same critical thinking skills into their children.

“Parents, pediatricians and policymakers are responsible for shaping how generative AI technologies are integrated into children’s lives,” said co-author Alexander Fiks, MD, MSCE, a primary care pediatrician and Director of Clinical Futures, a Research Institute Center of Emphasis at CHOP. “This rapidly growing field is going to require continuous research to inform parental guidance and policy to maximize the benefits of these tools while doing everything to mitigate potential harms and keep children safe.”

Grundmeier et al, “Generative Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Families and Pediatricians.” Pediatrics. Online March 4, 2026. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2025-074912.

About Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: 
A non-profit, charitable organization, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. CHOP also operates the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia, the Behavioral Health and Crisis Center (including a 24/7 Crisis Response Center) and the Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare, a mental health outpatient facility. Its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu.

 

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