62% of US students use AI for homework; two-thirds say it harms critical thinking
Between May and December 2025, the share of American students using AI for schoolwork rose from 48% to 62%. Of them, 67% said heavier use harms critical thinking, and only about one-third said their school has an AI policy.
Who is affected and how
- parent
- Parents should ask about the school's AI policy, since most schools do not have one.
Sources
- Between May and December 2025, the share of American students from middle school through college using AI for homework rose from 48% to 62%. Yet 67% believed heavier AI use harms students’ critical thinking—and only about one-third said their school had established a schoolwide AI policy. - Silicon Canalssiliconcanals.com · Aug 31, 2026
- How AI-generated Educational Material Harms Your Critical Thinkingfoxydatascience.substack.com · Sep 1, 2026
- When AI Begins to Do the Thinking: New Survey Shows the Cost for Students | Mathias Habib Foundationmathiashabibfoundation.org · Sep 1, 2026
- Schoolchildren Leaving Critical Thinking to AIenglish.aawsat.com · Aug 31, 2026
- AI Boosts Grades, But True Critical Thinking Requires New Rubrics | The Learning Standardthelearningstandard.org · Sep 1, 2026
- The New Education Challenge: Staying Critical When AI Makes Thinking Easier | Technologydevdiscourse.com · Aug 31, 2026
- Don’t Outsource Learning to AI: Helping Students Retain Independent Thinking | National Institute of Education (NIE) | NTU Singaporentu.edu.sg · Aug 31, 2026
- Learning with AI or learning from AI? The emerging challenge of cognitive offloading in higher education | Development and Learning in Organizations | Emerald Publishingemerald.com · Aug 31, 2026
Machine-generated summary based on the titles and excerpts of the source articles. The facts come from the linked article.