Are wealthier parents pushing teens towards AI? RAND study finds a growing income gap in how American families use artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of how teenagers approach homework, assignments and everyday learning. But a new study from US research organisation RAND Corporation suggests that access to this technology, and the encouragement to use it, may be increasingly divided along household income lines.The findings point to an emerging trend: parents from wealthier American households are adopting AI tools faster and are also more likely to encourage their children to use them for schoolwork. While AI can help students explore ideas, understand difficult concepts and improve their work, researchers warn that unrestricted dependence on these tools could come at a cost to independent thinking and learning.The RAND study tracked changes in AI use and attitudes among American parents and teenagers between 2025 and 2026.

Researchers surveyed nationally representative samples of approximately 1,000 parents and 1,800 teenagers, examining not only how frequently families used AI but also how parents guided their children's use of the technology.

AI adoption is growing, but the income gap is widening

One of the most striking findings concerns the difference between higher-income and lower-income households.According to RAND's findings, the gap in AI use between parents in the highest- and lowest-income groups increased from 15 percentage points to 21 percentage points over approximately 15 months.

The change was largely driven by a sharp rise in AI adoption among parents earning $150,000 or more annually.The pattern was also visible in how parents approached their children's education. Although most parents encouraged teenagers to use AI with some restraint, 17% of parents in the highest-income group said they encouraged their children to use AI wherever possible within the rules set by their schools.This raises an important question for educators: could differences in how families introduce and regulate AI create another divide in students' learning experiences?

Parents' attitudes may influence how teenagers use AI

The study also examined how parental guidance shapes teenagers' relationship with artificial intelligence.

Researchers found that teenagers who believed their parents supported AI use were considerably more likely to use the technology for homework than those who felt discouraged from doing so.In fact, perceived parental encouragement was more strongly associated with teenagers' AI use than several other factors examined in the research, including household income, sex and parents' concerns about the potential harms of AI.

Age was the notable exception.This finding highlights how family attitudes can influence technology habits. Teenagers may not simply be responding to the growing availability of AI tools. Their parents' own experiences, expectations and guidance could also play an important role.However, the researchers' findings establish an association, not proof that parental encouragement directly causes teenagers to use AI more frequently.The distinction matters because using AI as a learning assistant is different from allowing it to complete assignments or solve problems without independent effort.

What RAND researchers recommend for schools and parents

The findings have implications for schools, families and technology companies as AI becomes more deeply embedded in education.RAND researchers recommend that schools and education authorities provide parents and students with clear guidance on responsible AI use.

One suggestion is to introduce technological safeguards on school-issued devices that prevent students from turning to general-purpose AI chatbots before attempting assignments independently.Parents, meanwhile, are encouraged to discuss the difference between using AI to improve their own ideas and allowing the technology to do the thinking for them. Similar safeguards could also be considered for personal devices such as smartphones and tablets.The researchers also suggest that AI developers introduce features that encourage productive engagement rather than unrestricted dependence. The objective is not necessarily to prevent students from accessing AI, but to distinguish between its use as a supplementary learning tool and its use as a substitute for independent thinking.

The research draws on four surveys conducted through RAND's American Parents Panel and American Youth Panel, both part of the RAND American Life Panel.

The parent surveys were conducted in February 2025 and May 2026, while teenage participants aged 12 to 18 were surveyed in May 2025 and May 2026. Researchers also matched responses from 533 teenagers with those of 427 parents in the same households to examine how attitudes and technology habits were connected within families.As AI becomes a regular feature of education, the findings raise an important issue for schools and parents alike. The challenge may no longer be simply teaching students how to use artificial intelligence, but helping them understand when they should rely on it and when they need to think for themselves.