When your teen uses AI, ask about one decision
A practical conversation about checking facts and understanding the work.
By Azeez Idris
Imagine your teenager shows you a webpage they made with AI. The layout looks good, the buttons work, and the page is ready to share.
You could ask how long it took or which tool they used. Another useful question is: “Can you walk me through one decision you made?”
That gives them room to explain the work, including anything they are still figuring out.
Why this matters now
In a report published on February 24, 2026, Pew Research Center found that 54% of U.S. teens ages 13–17 said they had used chatbots for help with schoolwork. Pew surveyed 1,458 teens and their parents from September 25 to October 9, 2025. The teen findings represent those living with their parents. These are reports of use, not evidence that AI improved learning.
Pew report: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/
A more recent OECD discussion, published on September 8, 2026, emphasizes teaching students how to interpret and assess AI-generated information. The OECD and European Commission's AI literacy framework, published June 18, also includes evaluating outputs and using AI responsibly and creatively.
OECD discussion: https://www.oecd.org/en/blogs/2026/09/pisa-findings-on-artificial-intelligence-use-reading-skills-and-learning.html
AI literacy framework: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/empowering-learners-for-the-age-of-ai_65cd27d4-en.html
For families and young builders, a practical place to start is the work already in front of them. What did the tool suggest? What did the young person choose? What needs checking?
Here is an activity to try together. It is our suggested exercise, not a validated assessment from the sources above.
Start with one small project
Suppose a young person is making a page for a neighborhood event. This is a hypothetical example. The page needs to tell visitors who the event is for, when it starts and where to go.
Keep the first conversation small. Pick one part of the page, such as the event information or the registration button. For schoolwork, follow the teacher's rules on AI use. Use age-appropriate tools and avoid entering private information into them.
Ask about a choice
Try: “Why did you put the registration button here?” or “What would a first-time visitor need to know before clicking it?”
Let them explain in their own words. They can point to the page, sketch another version or show you what happens when they click. There is no need to turn the conversation into a memory test.
If the answer is “the AI put it there,” that is a useful starting point. Look at the choice together. Would they keep it? What might they change?
Check something that could be wrong
Choose one detail that matters. For the event page, compare the date and address with the organizer's original information. Do not assume the AI supplied the right details because they look plausible.
For an article, follow a statistic back to its original report and check who was studied and when. For a small piece of code, choose an input, predict the result and then run it. A single successful check does not establish that the whole project is correct, but it gives you one concrete thing to discuss.
Try the page as a visitor
Ask a willing person to use the draft: “Can you find the start time and tell me where you would go?” Watch without explaining the layout first.
If they get stuck, ask the young builder what they noticed. Perhaps the location is hidden below a large image, or the button is hard to see on a phone. Let them choose one change, explain why it might help and try it again.
Keep the test simple. You do not need to collect names, email addresses or other personal details to find out whether someone can locate an event time.
Write down one thing that changed
A short note is enough: “I thought the location was obvious. Our tester missed it on a phone. I moved it beside the start time and checked again.”
That is an illustrative note, not a result from an EdAI participant. Your young builder's answer may be different, including “we tried it and it still needs work.”
The useful part is being able to explain what happened and choose a next step. AI can help generate options, but a young person still needs opportunities to judge which ones fit the problem.
Next time they show you something they made with AI, start with one decision. You do not have to inspect the entire project in one sitting. Give them space to show you how they thought about it and what they want to work out next.