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Nearly every teenager in Austria uses AI chatbots, most of them for school. More than half worry it is weakening their own thinking. We are asking parents, teachers, and students what they see.
of 11 to 17 year olds in Austria use AI chatbots.
use AI tools for school and homework.
worry that AI could weaken their ability to think for themselves.
Source: Saferinternet.at, survey of 500 young people, February 2026.
In a 2025 Vienna study of 1,537 learners, saving time was the most common reason for using AI (FHWien der WKW).
These studies ask young people about their own use. The Snapshot adds the view of the three groups closest to learning and puts one question to all of them: when AI helps with schoolwork, is the learning still happening?
Pick the one that fits you. Each takes 5 to 8 minutes, and no name is needed.
How your child uses AI for school, what you see at home, and what would help you guide it.
What AI is changing in your classroom and your assessment, and what guidance you have or lack.
How AI shapes the way you study, and whether you are learning or finishing faster.
University and other students aged 18 and over.
Not in Austria? The international survey (English) is open to parents, teachers, and students 18+ anywhere in the world.
The Snapshot only works with many voices. One forward to a parent group, a staff room, or a newsletter does more than a single answer.
Parents and teachers describe what they see with school-age children. Students aged 18 and over answer for themselves. We do not survey minors.
Taking part requires no name and no contact details.
This is an exploratory snapshot, not a representative sample. We will report how many people answered and from which groups, and draw no conclusions the numbers cannot carry.
Findings will be published free of charge. To receive them by email, leave your address through the contact form. It is kept separate from survey answers.
Dr. Eileen Smith Zechmeister founded AI Learning & Digital Safety in Vienna. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Vienna and has worked for more than a decade in higher education and digital learning, including across the United Nations system. She is also a mother of three.
The Snapshot is self-initiated and independent. No technology company funds it, and nobody outside the project sees the data before publication.
Survey of 500 young people aged 11 to 17 in Austria on how they use AI chatbots. In German.
Survey of 1,537 school and university students in Vienna, with teacher focus groups. In German.
Fesler, Martinez Claeys & Agnew. Reviews 800+ studies, only 20 with strong causal evidence on learning outcomes.
The first global guidance on generative AI in education: human-centered and equity-focused.
Organizations that provide or use AI systems must take measures to support the AI literacy of their staff.
The compulsory subject for lower secondary schools that frames digital and media literacy in Austria. In German.
Taking part requires no name and no contact details. By taking part, you agree that your anonymous answers may be used for research and publication. Surveys run on Google Forms. Details are in the privacy policy; for questions, please use the contact form.
