Half of parents say AI makes it easier for kids to hide learning gaps

A survey of 1,177 U.S. parents of K–10 students found that 50.9% think AI tools make it easier for children to conceal gaps in understanding. Parents still turn first to teachers for help, even as concern grows about how chatbots may affect what students actually learn.

Why it matters: - Parents are seeing AI change homework habits in ways that could mask learning gaps. - The survey suggests schools and families may have a harder time telling whether students understand material or are leaning on chatbots. - The findings land as educators and parents debate how much AI should be used in schoolwork.

What happened: - Brighterly surveyed 1,177 U.S. parents of students in kindergarten through 10th grade. - 50.9% agreed that AI tools make it easier for their child to hide that they do not understand something. - 48.4% said they turn first to their child’s teacher when worried about schoolwork. - Only 2.0% said they turn first to ChatGPT or another AI assistant. - Brighterly published the full results online.

The details: - Agreement with the statement about AI was higher among parents who use AI chatbots themselves. - Among parents who use AI chatbots for schoolwork advice at least weekly, 68.7% agreed that AI tools make it easier for a child to hide a lack of understanding. - Among parents who never use AI chatbots for schoolwork advice, 38.6% agreed. - The survey found a gap between report cards and what parents see at home. - Among parents whose child earns mostly A’s or A’s and B’s, 58.6% said the child struggled or fell behind in math or reading in the past 12 months. - That was close to the 60.7% of all parents surveyed who said the same. - Among parents of mostly-A students, 46.5% said their child struggled or fell behind in math or reading. - 29.5% of parents said their child keeps trying until they get it in a game or app they enjoy. - Only 17.8% said the same about math homework. - Brighterly also publishes a guide to AI in schools policy here. - Methodology: 1,177 U.S. parents were surveyed Aug. 5–15, 2026, and answered about one focal child.

Between the lines: - The results point to a trust gap between visible grades and actual mastery. - Parents appear less focused on whether AI is used at all and more focused on whether AI helps a child think or replaces the thinking. - The survey does not test students and does not prove AI use caused the declines seen in outside achievement data. - The release cites PISA 2025, released by the OECD on Sept. 8, which found that students who did not use AI chatbots for schoolwork generally scored higher in science than students who did. - The release also notes that U.S. 15-year-olds’ average reading score fell 14 points from 2022 to 490, among the lowest results recorded for the country.

What’s next: - Brighterly is urging parents to use chatbots with children and discuss errors together. - Schools and families are likely to keep wrestling with how to balance AI access with proof of genuine understanding. - The survey adds pressure for clearer rules on when AI supports learning and when it may conceal problems.

The bottom line: - Parents are not just asking whether kids use AI. They are asking whether AI is helping children learn, or helping them look like they did.