Ai at school: how do you help your child use it smartly?.

Ai at school: how do you help your child use it smartly?.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become part of the daily lives of many students. While the conversation often focuses on cheating or having chatbots write papers, chapter 5 of the Staat van de Ouder 2026 shows a more nuanced picture.

AI is mainly used to learn

When children use AI for schoolwork, parents say it is often to understand something better. Many students use AI to ask for explanations about a difficult topic or to get ideas for an assignment. AI is also used to improve texts or to practice for tests.

Tip for parents:

Ask not only if your child uses AI, but especially how. For example:

• What do you use AI for?
• Did it help you understand something better?
• What did you do yourself in the end?

AI can help, but critical thinking remains important

A chatbot gives quick answers. But quick does not always mean correct. AI makes mistakes, sometimes invents information, and can give answers that sound convincing but are not right.

Tip for parents:

Encourage your child to always check information. Ask for example:

• How do you know this answer is correct?
• Can you find this somewhere else?
• Do you agree with it?

Many parents do not know how schools deal with AI

A striking outcome from the Staat van de Ouder 2026 is that many parents do not know how their child’s school handles AI. At the same time, parents want to know more about this. They are not necessarily for or against it but want to understand the choices schools make and why.

Tip for parents:

Ask during a parent evening or meeting with school:

• What agreements are there about AI?
• When may students use AI?
• How do students learn to use AI responsibly?

AI demands new skills

Just like children learn to read, write, and calculate, AI also requires new skills. Not only how to use a chatbot, but mainly how to remain critical, assess information, and keep thinking for yourself.

More and more, the term ‘AI literacy’ is used: understanding what AI can do, but also its limits.

Tip for parents:

Try AI together. For example, let your child explain how a chatbot works or create a question together. You do not have to be an expert to learn along.

It is not about banning, but about guiding

Discussions about AI in education show that many people see AI as a development that is here to stay. The challenge is therefore not so much to stop it, but to teach children to use it wisely.

This is similar to how we handle calculators or the internet: the tool is available, but students still have to understand what they are doing.

Tip for parents:

Emphasize that AI can be a starting point, but not the endpoint. A good question to ask is: “What did you learn yourself after using AI?” This keeps the focus on the learning process and not just the result.