Our latest research brings together large-scale survey data and qualitative insights to explore how generative AI is being used to support learning and literacy across schools and homes in 2026.
Findings draw on data from 40,543 young people aged 13 to 18 and 2,567 teachers who took part in our Annual Literacy Survey in early 2026, and a survey of 3,073 parents of children aged 5 to 18, alongside focus groups with 44 children and young people and interviews with 17 teachers, librarians and experts from 11 settings across primary, secondary and tertiary phases.
This research project was part-funded by KPMG UK.
What this research shows
Generative AI is now a routine part of everyday life for many young people, as well as for the adults who support them. Our research found changes in approaches to AI accompanied growing experience and awareness of its impact on how we engage with information, ideas and writing.
Key findings
2026 saw the highest levels of generative AI use in young people and teachers since we first started asking about this in 2023:
- 4 in 5 (79.0%) young people aged 13 to 18 said they had used generative AI in 2026, with nearly 3 in 5 (59.5%) using it weekly or more often
- 4 in 5 teachers (80.6%) reported using AI, up substantially from 2025 (58.0%)
- Around 2 in 3 families (67.8%) had used AI together in some capacity.
Generative AI was used to support a variety of learning and literacy activities:
- Young people valued AI for helping them understand new topics, get started on new work or for initial feedback on their writing. Compared with 2025, more than twice as many used AI to get feedback on how their writing could be better in 2026 (45.6% vs 20.7%). However, some felt conflicted, with typical comments including, “I use it fairly regularly… despite not liking it.”
- Most teachers who used AI at least monthly used it to help with lesson resources, quizzes or tests (73.2%), admin tasks (46.3%) or adapting content (39.5%), with just 1 in 11 (9.1%) using it for assessing pupils’ work
- Families reported using AI for homework help (28.7%), answering their child's questions (24.6%) and creative activities such as making images (23.1%).
As AI use increases, concerns are growing:
- 3 in 5 (60.1%) teachers said they were worried about pupils using AI in 2026, a sharp increase on 2025 levels (43.2%)
- Slightly more parents agreed that they would prefer their child not to use AI than disagreed (35.9% vs 32.9%)
- While 4 in 5 (80.0%) of the highest-income parents felt confident supporting their child with AI, this decreased to just 3 in 10 (31.0%) among the lowest-income parents.
At the same time, AI use was becoming more intentional and reflective among some young people:
- Compared with 2025, more young people reported checking AI outputs in 2026 (52.3% vs 42.8%) and adding their own ideas (56.5% vs 48.9%)
- More than 3 in 5 (62.8%) young people agreed that AI should help you think, not think for you
- However, 1 in 4 (24.1%) young people said they simply copied AI outputs when using it for homework, rising to 3 in 10 (31.6%) of those who received free school meals (FSMs)
Young people, teachers and families would welcome more support:
- Many young people wanted to learn more about how to evaluate information generally, with comments including: “We should be taught how to make our own research… so we can’t be disinformed or misled.”
- More than 3 in 5 (62.5%) parents agreed that their child should learn about AI in school
- Critical AI literacy was seen as both a teaching challenge and an equity issue, with one expert stating, “The real digital divide is those students who are equipped to critically engage with the outputs of AI tools.”
- However, just 1 in 3 (32.6%) of teachers reported receiving training on this topic themselves, and felt unprepared to support students as a result, with one saying, “Teachers… are resourceful, but… this AI leap is a real challenge… the expectation… to safeguard, to educate, to identify all of these things with AI."
As generative AI is becoming a more prevalent part of how we learn, read and write, our findings show that the ability and motivation to use these tools critically and reflectively varies considerably.
Differences in support at school and at home risk widening these gaps. All young people should have the opportunity to understand whether, when and how to use AI without it undermining their independent thinking and self-expression. Sustained support is needed to build teachers’ confidence and expertise, inform families and develop young people’s critical digital literacy to ensure purposeful and effective engagement with these tools.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the National Literacy Trust and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of KPMG UK.
