Artificial intelligence and young children
Evidence-based articles from Digital Child researchers and collaborators.
Children and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Australia
The Big Challenges
GenAI tools are great at reproducing what probabilistically comes next, but these models produce all kinds of errors because there is no understanding, no intelligence. It is vital that these tools are used carefully and critically.
This report highlights nine of the most urgent challenges and issues in terms of everyday use of GenAI tools, especially when children might be using these systems. All of these are in urgent need of greater research, including hearing more from children and young people about how they use, and how they wish to (or don’t wish to) use these tools in the future. Educators, policy makers, NGOs, parents and anyone thinking about the uses of GenAI tools would be well served keeping these issues in mind, too.
Date published: June 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/rep.eprints.257452
Suggested citation: Leaver, T., Srdarov, S. (2025) Children and Generative AI (GenAI) in Australia: The Big Challenges. Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, Queensland University of Technology.
Looking for journal articles on AI?
Leaver, T., & Srdarov, S. (2025). Generative AI and children’s digital futures: New research challenges. Journal of Children and Media, 19(1), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2024.2438679
Srdarov, S. ., & Leaver, T. (2024). Generative AI Glitches: The Artificial Everything. M/C Journal, 27(6). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.3123
Leaver, T., & Srdarov, S. . (2023). ChatGPT Isn’t Magic : The Hype and Hypocrisy of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Rhetoric. M/C Journal, 26(5). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.3004
