Building A Healthier Digital Future For Teens

If you have a teen at home, chances are the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) has been brought up at the dinner table at least once. But what does your teen actually think about AI? From homework help to friendship advice, kids are using AI tools and chatbots in their everyday lives. According to a TELUS survey of over 1,000 Gen Z Canadians, 64 per cent use AI for personal activities weekly.

This past October, TELUS hosted a hands-on AI and data ethics workshop at Canada's Digital Wellness Festival, RALLY. Through the event’s interactive games, fun activities and engaging conversations, teens from high schools across Toronto were encouraged to think about how their generation can make the online world–filled with social media and AI–better work for them. The responsible use of AI was an important topic at the event.

“Hearing from youth and creating spaces where they can shape the technology’s development is critical for responsible use of AI,” says Jesslyn Dymond, the director of AI governance and data ethics at TELUS. “Teens are telling us that they see AI’s potential but they also recognize the pitfalls and want to learn more.”

The power of purple teaming

During the workshop, Dymond introduced teens to the idea of ‘purple teaming,’ a collaborative way that cybersecurity experts help detect generative AI’s hidden biases and assumptions. Students learned how ‘red teams’ are responsible for identifying any bugs before an AI tool goes live, while ‘blue teams’ help to fix those vulnerabilities–together creating “purple team magic.”

Dymond says this is an important part of making AI fair for everyone. “We want to take advantage of the many benefits and promises that this technology has, but it has to be inclusive of a wide range of voices and perspectives,” she says. “And when we talk about the future, I think there is an incredible opportunity for youth to help shape that.”

Building healthy boundaries with AI

Along with talking about AI’s common weak spots, teens also brainstormed solutions to make AI work better for them in their daily lives (yes, that means fewer AI homework fails). One of the main suggestions that arose was to build ethical prompts when using AI. For example, teens can try asking generative AI tools to provide sources or include a variety of perspectives in the responses.

Simran Sodha, a grade 12 student and member of RALLY’s youth advisory board, says that teens should try their best to set their own personal boundaries and avoid becoming too dependent on technology tools like AI. “So many teens, including myself, have had to address this issue and figure out ways to manage it,” she says.

According to TELUS’ research, 90 per cent of surveyed Gen Z Canadians expressed concern about AI’s impact on society. The survey also found that over-reliance on AI systems was one of their top concerns specifically. “Everyone’s relationship with AI is going to be different, but it’s up to them to ensure that it’s a healthy relationship,” adds Sodha.

Using AI for good

Establishing healthy boundaries with technology–like pausing to think before tapping, auditing access permissions through privacy settings, turning off non-essential notifications, and reviewing privacy policies–can be challenging for teens, but events like RALLY, and online resources like TELUS Wise that offer free AI literacy training, can help them navigate it and feel less alone. “We wanted to bring together experts to talk about technology including AI openly with teenagers,” says Keith Wallace, RALLY’s co-founder. “I think it’s really important for them to use it, but use it mindfully.”

Besides just personal use, teens like Sodha are thinking about how AI can make a positive impact on society. Responsible AI is a term used around the world that considers how AI can drive beneficial change and innovation for people in different areas like housing, health care, education and more. “So many fields like medicine have already made so much progress by being able to use this tool,” she says. According to the survey by TELUS, although Gen Z Canadians have their concerns, 65 per cent of respondents say they believe AI can improve overall quality of life. The potential to improve accessibility and inclusion was also highlighted by 39 per cent of Gen Z respondents.

“We can all think of experiences in a classroom or in a health care setting where we wish technology would be more helpful,” says Dymond. “So learning about how AI works, where it still has limitations–that literacy with AI–is critical for navigating the future of digital trust.”