Nearly 7 in 10 middle and high school students express concern that using AI for schoolwork is eroding their critical thinking abilities, according to a new RAND Corp. survey. Yet despite these worries, student adoption of AI tools continues to climb rapidly, creating a paradox where learners recognize a potential problem but feel compelled to use the technology anyway. How Worried Are Students About AI and Learning? The concern among students has grown dramatically over a short period. In May 2025, 48% of middle school students reported worry that AI was harming their critical thinking skills. By December 2025, that figure jumped to 68%, a 20-percentage-point increase in just seven months. High school students showed a similar trend, with concern rising from 55% to 65% over the same timeframe. College students expressed the highest level of worry, with 70% indicating that AI use may be damaging their critical thinking abilities. The gap between concern and behavior reveals something important about how students navigate technology in their academic lives. Even as worry increases, usage does too, suggesting students feel caught between their instincts about learning and the practical pressures of keeping up with their peers. Why Are Students Using AI More Despite Their Concerns? The disconnect between worry and usage is striking. From May to December 2025, the percentage of middle school students using AI for homework nearly doubled, rising from 30% to 46%. High school students showed similar growth, with usage climbing from 49% to 60%. This upward trajectory suggests that concerns about learning quality are being outweighed by other factors, whether convenience, peer pressure, or the belief that not using AI puts students at a disadvantage. General-purpose AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude AI, and Google Gemini dominate student usage. Forty-nine percent of middle school students and 61% of high school students report using these general chatbots, far outpacing specialized AI tools designed for tutoring, mental health support, or college advising. What Tasks Are Students Using AI For? Student usage patterns vary by grade level and reveal where AI is most tempting to use: - High School Focus: Brainstorming and getting better explanations on assignments, with 37% of high school students reporting these as their primary uses - Middle School Focus: Looking up facts, with 32% of middle school students using AI for this purpose - General Chatbot Preference: General-purpose AI tools are far more popular than specialized educational AI applications These usage patterns suggest students are turning to AI for tasks that feel like they require thinking or explanation, not just simple fact retrieval. This aligns with the concern researchers have about AI removing the initial struggle that builds critical thinking skills. Do Students Think Using AI Counts as Cheating? Student definitions of cheating are surprisingly narrow. On most tasks, a majority of middle school, high school, and college students surveyed did not consider AI use to be cheating. The one clear exception is using AI to get homework answers directly, which 45% of respondents identified as cheating. However, students are left largely to their own devices in determining what is acceptable. Only about one-third of middle and high school students indicated their school had a clear rule about using AI in homework. The rest reported either no rule, uncertainty about whether a rule existed, or that policies varied by individual teacher. High school students were more likely than middle schoolers to report that their teachers check for AI use, and 64% of high schoolers expressed concern about being accused of using AI to cheat. What Do Experts Say About the Real Learning Risk? "Just thinking it harms your critical thinking isn't proof that it's harming your critical thinking," said Heather Schwartz, co-director of the American Youth Panel at RAND. "But there are a handful of studies coming out showing that AI is functioning like a crutch for students." Heather Schwartz, Co-Director of the American Youth Panel at RAND Schwartz's concern centers on what she calls "first-draft thinking," the initial cognitive struggle that builds learning. When students face a blank page or an unsolved math problem, they must draw on background knowledge to figure out the first step. This moment of friction is where critical thinking develops. "AI might be giving you a really beautiful explanation about what you can do and how to go about it. It's still removing that step for you. And I think it's shortchanging your learning in the process," Schwartz explained. Heather Schwartz, Co-Director of the American Youth Panel at RAND The research on AI's actual impact on learning is still emerging, Schwartz noted, and teachers are finding the technology genuinely helpful in their practice. But the timing of when and how students use AI matters significantly. Using AI to bypass the initial struggle may feel efficient in the moment but could undermine the deeper learning that comes from wrestling with a problem before seeking help. How to Use AI Responsibly as a Student - Struggle First: Attempt to solve a problem or brainstorm ideas on your own before turning to AI, allowing yourself to experience the cognitive friction that builds critical thinking - Use AI for Refinement: After your initial attempt, use AI to check your work, get alternative explanations, or explore different approaches rather than as your first step - Clarify School Policies: Ask your teacher or school explicitly what AI use is permitted for different assignments, rather than assuming a blanket rule applies - Reflect on Your Learning: Pause periodically to consider whether using AI is helping you understand concepts more deeply or simply making assignments faster to complete The student concern about AI and critical thinking is not unfounded. As adoption accelerates, the challenge for educators and learners alike is finding ways to harness AI's benefits while protecting the cognitive struggles that build genuine understanding. The fact that students themselves recognize this tension suggests they are thinking critically about the technology, even as they use it more frequently.
