This new study by GoStudent has revealed that the technological gap is widening in Europe with 4 in 10 children claiming to have access to AI learning tools at school in Germany and Austria, dropping to 2 in 10 in the UK and Spain and just 1 in 10 in France and Italy.
The report, which surveyed more than 1,000 UK-based parents and their children, highlights that 56% of children in the UK want to learn using AI, and 9 in 10 parents see AI as an effective educational tool, yet just 20% of kids have access to it in the classroom. In addition, just 16% of children use AI at home to learn, suggesting parents see the benefit of the technology, but are unsure how to harness or create access to it.
The report also shows that children aged 10-16 are increasingly embracing a tech-centric lifestyle, with their confidence living in a world surrounded by new technologies growing 8% from last year (80% in 2024, up from 74% in 2023).
While the Metaverse generated significant excitement among UK children in 2023, with 78% keen to learn in the virtual environment, interest waned to just 53% this year.
The report shows how quickly AI has entered our consciousness, with more than 1 in 2 students believing it to be the most important topic they need to learn to be ready for the future. The top three subjects cited by children in the UK were tech development (56%), life skills (55%), finance (53%), indicating a desire to learn skills that prepare them for later life.