Generative AI and childhood education : lessons from the smartphone generation

Machidon, Octavian-Mihai (author)

This article examines the potential parallels between children's widespread adoption of smartphones and the emerging reliance on generative AI tools in childhood education. Drawing on Jonathan Haidt’s insights into how phone-based childhoods can disrupt the development of critical executive functions, and Shannon Vallor’s concept of “moral deskilling,” the discussion raises concerns about “intellectual deskilling” in younger generations. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT gain popularity, children risk becoming overly reliant on automated solutions, potentially undermining metacognition and critical thinking. This paper highlights risks such as cognitive offloading, instant gratification, and diminished perseverance and proposes measures to ensure generative AI supports rather than replaces essential developmental experiences.

• Language: English
• Keywords: generative artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence, childhood education, smartphone generation, intellectual deskilling, metacognition, cognitive offloading
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 3 str.
• Numbering: Vol. , no.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-171513
• UDC: 004.8:37:316.6
• ISSN on article: 0951-5666
• DOI: 10.1007/s00146-025-02196-y
• COBISS.SI-ID: 226140419
• Publication date in RUL: 27.08.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: AI & society : the journal of human and machine intelligence
• Shortened title: AI Soc.
• Publisher: Springer International
• ISSN: 0951-5666
• COBISS.SI-ID: 28796417

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: generativna umetna inteligenca, umetna inteligenca, izobraževanje v otroštvu, generacija pametnih telefonov, intelektualno odstranjevanje spretnosti, metakognicija, kognitivna razbremenitev