By Deidre Harrington BA., BEd., MLIS
Editor’s note: The article image was generated using AI
The most thoughtful critics of artificial intelligence I have encountered lately are not tech experts, but rural teenagers. This spring, I stood before a class of Grade 12 World Issues students in my school library and read aloud a series of newspaper headlines about emerging AI technologies. After each headline, I asked students to respond with a thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs sideways if they felt neutral.
AI actor Tilly Norwood and the AI-generated country song “Walk My Way” by Breaking Rust received mostly thumbs down, along with a few hesitant thumbs sideways. However, the strongest reactions were reserved for apps that allow users to upload a deceased relative and converse with an AI version of them, or to interact with an AI representation of Jesus. Both were met with unanimous thumbs down and spontaneous boos from around the room.
For those who do not work with teenagers, it may be tempting to assume that young people are universally enthusiastic about the rapid advancement of AI. However, while these technologies have become quietly and seemingly inevitably embedded in nearly every aspect of our lives, we rarely stop to ask youth what they actually think about them from an ethical or moral perspective. Emerging research suggests that young people are capable of engaging thoughtfully with these questions. For example, the study Youth Perspectives on Technology Ethics (Durall Gazulla et al., 2025) found that Finnish teenagers (ages 13-16) were able to reflect on the ethical dimensions of AI, even without prior formal instruction. Curious about how rural students at my school might respond, I set out to explore their perspectives after first providing them with a foundational lesson in AI literacy and ethics.
Rather than focusing solely on the mechanics of generative AI, the lesson was designed to equip students with the knowledge needed to critically evaluate its social, environmental, and ethical implications. The lesson agenda included:
- Explain how generative AI works, including its environmental and human impacts, as well as key limitations (e.g., bias, hallucinations, lack of true understanding).
- Explore news stories or controversies involving AI misuse (e.g., deepfakes, biased algorithms, AI slop).
- Outline what constitutes plagiarism in the age of AI.
- Provide clear guidance on how to use AI ethically to level up their work.
To better understand students’ thinking, I invited them to complete an anonymous online survey following the lesson. Their responses revealed several interesting insights.
What are students using generative AI for?
The answer is more varied than educators might expect. Although only 35% of surveyed students reported using AI for schoolwork, an overwhelming 86% said they use it for entertainment or personal research. Beyond the classroom, 15% reported using generative AI to support extracurricular activities such as clubs, teams, or other school-related commitments, while an equal proportion use it in workplace settings. Given that these respondents are current Grade 12 students, it is perhaps unsurprising that nearly one in five (19%) have turned to generative AI for assistance with college and university applications.
Do students and teachers share the same understanding of plagiarism in the age of AI?
In many respects, yes. A striking 89% of students agreed that using AI to generate a first draft, or copying and lightly editing AI-generated responses for homework and worksheets, constitutes plagiarism. Similarly, 79% felt that relying on AI-produced summaries instead of engaging directly with original sources was plagiarism. Even the use of AI to start work raised concerns, with 75% of students identifying the generation of outlines or thesis statements as a form of plagiarism.
Yet, if students generally recognize what constitutes inappropriate AI use, why do teachers so often find themselves addressing it? The answer may lie in the difference between knowing what is right and consistently acting on that knowledge. Exploring how and why this gap emerges is a critical next step for educators and researchers alike.
The 2024 report Teen and Young Adult Perspectives on Generative AI challenges the assumption that young people are uniformly enthusiastic about AI. Its findings reveal that teens and young adults see both promise and peril in these technologies, expressing excitement about learning and creativity alongside concerns about misinformation, privacy, intellectual property, and the future of work. The authors argue that youth perspectives are essential to informed decision-making about AI but remain underrepresented in many of the conversations shaping its development and use. With that in mind, I asked students, “In your opinion, what can be done to help students use AI more effectively and responsibly?” While a few students expressed strong opinions (“Be strict on AI usage and make the students use their brains. AI will only hurt the cognitive ability of students.”), many offered thoughtful insights, including:
“Don’t be so harsh with punishments; instead, teach them how to use it.”
“To be used responsibly, students need to know that they cannot take the information it gives at first glance. It needs to be checked with other sites.”
“Teach them the proper ways to use it (e.g., to edit grammar mistakes, not write your assignment for you), educate them on the impacts it has on the environment, and inform them of the consequences if they’re caught using it incorrectly.”
“Clear rules from the school, not each teacher. There should not be fluctuating rules from classroom to classroom.”
The message from these students is clear: when it comes to AI, they want guidance, not just access. As educators, we need to move beyond concerns about detection and discipline and instead focus on creating clear expectations and learning experiences that help students use these tools thoughtfully and ethically. Would urban students respond differently? Possibly. Their experiences with technology and AI may not be the same as those of students in rural communities. At the same time, the concerns raised by my students suggest that questions about fairness, trust, and creativity are likely shared by many young people, regardless of where they live. More research will help us better understand these perspectives and identify effective approaches to AI education. Most importantly, students need to be part of the conversation. If we want AI to be integrated into education in ways that are responsible and meaningful, we need to listen to the young people who are learning with it every day.
References
Common Sense Media, Hopelab, & Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2024). Teen and young adult perspectives on generative AI: Patterns of use, excitements, and concerns. https://assets.hopelab.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Teen-and-Young-Adult-Perspectiv es-on-Generative-AI.pdf
Durall Gazulla, E., Hirvonen, N., Sharma, S., Hartikainen, H., Jylhä, V., Iivari, N., Kinnula, M. & Baizhanova, A. (2025). Youth perspectives on technology ethics: analysis of teens’ ethical reflections on AI in learning activities. Behaviour & Information Technology, 44(5), 888–911. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2024.2350666
Deidre has over 20 years of experience teaching. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Library and Information Science from Western University. She has served in roles including classroom teacher, eLearning instructor, summer school teacher, department head, Learning Technologies Coordinator, and Ministry course writer. As a current member, and past chairperson, of the Teacher Education Liaison Committee at Western University, she enjoys collaborating with Teacher Candidates and Faculty. Deidre works as a Teacher-Librarian at a rural high school in Southwestern Ontario. Find her on instagram @aisopenlibrarian.