[Survey Results] Over 95% of Elementary and Junior High School Students Use AI; Approximately 90% Have Recognized AI-Generated Content Based on Unnaturalness

This survey targeted children, primarily elementary and junior high school students, asking about their AI usage experience, AI services they have used, and aspects where they believe humans can outperform AI. A total of 2,018 responses were received.

Among the elementary and junior high school students who responded, 82.6% expressed interest in AI, and over 95% had actual experience using AI. "ChatGPT" was particularly popular among AI services.

Furthermore, approximately 90% of elementary and junior high school students reported having noticed that a video (or image) on social media or video sites was "created by AI." The reasons for noticing included "feeling somewhat unnatural" and "moving in ways that are impossible in reality," indicating that AI-generated content is recognized based on a sense of incongruity or distinctive expressions.

In addition, when asked about areas where humans are superior to AI, opinions centered on emotions and subjective feelings as defining human characteristics. It was particularly evident that humans are considered more adept at actions that evoke human emotions.

■ "AI" Survey Report

https://kids.nifty.com/parent/research/ai_20260302/

■ Survey Overview

○ Survey Period

January 20 (Tuesday) - February 23 (Monday), 2026

○ Survey Organization

In-house survey

○ Target Audience

Visitors to "Nifty Kids," primarily elementary and junior high school students

○ Valid Responses

2,018 responses

○ Survey Method

Internet survey

○ Survey Items

1. Are you interested in AI?

2. Have you ever used AI?

3. [For those who have used AI] Have you used any of these AIs? (Multiple choice)

4. [For those who have used AI] Have you ever thought that an answer given by AI might be wrong?

5. [For those who have thought an answer might be wrong] How did you notice?

6. Have you ever used AI for schoolwork or homework?

7. On social media or video sites, do you ever notice, "This video (image) was made by AI"?

8. [For those who have noticed AI-generated content] How did you notice?

9. How do you think using AI affects your "thinking ability"?

10. Do you think you can become friends with AI?

11. [For those who think they can become friends] Please tell us why!

12. What do you think humans can do better than AI?

■ Survey Results

1. Are you interested in AI?

Over 80% of elementary and junior high school students answered "Yes."

2. Have you ever used AI?

It was found that most elementary and junior high school students have experience using some form of AI.

3. [For those who have used AI] Have you used any of these AIs? (Multiple choice)

The AI service that received the most votes was "ChatGPT." Additionally, AI assistants such as "Siri" and services like "Gemini," which are easily accessible through familiar devices, are also popular.

4. [For those who have used AI] Have you ever thought that an answer given by AI might be wrong?

Among elementary and junior high school students who have used AI, nearly 80% answered "Yes."

5. [For those who have thought an answer might be wrong] How did you notice?

○ I once used Google search to check if the AI's answer was true.

○ It said, 'AI may detect incorrect answers,' and out of curiosity, I asked a question to see if my knowledge would be the answer, and there were common misconceptions mixed in.

○ The AI's answer differed from the information in a book.

○ When I asked my dad, he said, "What the AI is saying is wrong."

○ The answer kept changing.

Responses indicated that mistakes were sometimes noticed when re-researching AI answers independently. Also, discrepancies between AI answers and knowledge learned in school or information in familiar genres sometimes led to doubts.

6. Have you ever used AI for schoolwork or homework?

63.4% of elementary and junior high school students answered "Yes," indicating that AI is actively used for studying and homework.

7. On social media or video sites, do you ever notice, "This video (image) was made by AI"?

Approximately 65% of elementary and junior high school students answered "Often," and when combined with those who answered "Sometimes," nearly 90% of elementary students had experience recognizing AI-generated content.

On the other hand, some respondents answered "Never know," suggesting cases where AI-generated content might be mistaken for real footage or images and spread as such.

8. [For those who have noticed AI-generated content] How did you notice?

○ AI-generated images seem to have a fixed style. The style is always the same.

○ Because it feels somewhat strange.

○ Because it's moving in impossible ways.

○ Because it says, "This image is AI-generated content."

○ I saw a beautiful flower field on Instagram, and when I looked at the comments, it said AI.

Many responses cited "AI-likeness" as the reason. For example, in illustrations, similar drawing styles, or in videos, movements that are impossible in reality, indicated that content was identified as AI-generated from noticeable inconsistencies.

Furthermore, there are cases where AI is perceived based on a sense of incongruity even without clear evidence, or by checking comments on social media.

9. How do you think using AI affects your "thinking ability"?

The most common answer was "I think it decreases," at 44.6%. However, nearly 40% answered "Cannot say either way." This suggests that respondents perceive both advantages and disadvantages of AI use, making it difficult to judge at present.

10. Do you think you can become friends with AI?

The percentage of those who answered "No" was higher than those who answered "Yes."

11. [For those who think they can become friends] Please tell us why!

○ "Friends" are friends if you think they are friends.

○ AI listens to many opinions and adapts to me, so I think I can become friends with it.

○ Because AI listens to things I can't talk about with people, and if used appropriately for homework and assignments, I think it can improve my thinking and writing skills.

○ Some people have married AI, and I think you can become friends if you create a character for AI as a friend!

○ Conversations continue indefinitely, and I don't have to be as considerate as with human friends.

Responses indicated reasons such as "AI adapts to me," "listens to things I can't talk about with others," and "I don't have to be as considerate as with human counterparts."

12. What do you think humans can do better than AI?

○ If AI is a being that provides "optimal solutions," humans are beings that create "satisfactory solutions."

○ AI was created by humans, so AI cannot win against humans in the first place, and all the knowledge AI possesses was developed by humans.

○ Fun! I think human-conceived fun is definitely more fun than AI-conceived fun!

○ I don't think AI can beat human feelings of caring for someone or kindness.

○ Thinking about thinking, and having one's own opinion that is not necessarily logical.

Opinions suggested that while AI excels at logical answers, humans can derive flexible answers depending on the situation.

Furthermore, a certain number of people mentioned characteristics related to emotions. It was particularly recognized that humans are better at actions that evoke subjective emotions such as "kindness" and "fun" in others.

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