New Zealand online safety organisation Netsafe says generative AI is no longer an emerging technology for young people. It is already becoming part of how they learn, create and interact online. Netsafe is using International Youth Day to highlight the need for parents, educators and other adults to better understand how young people are using AI.
The message is not simply about restricting access. Netsafe is calling for adults to build their own understanding so they can help young people recognise both the opportunities and risks associated with AI. That includes developing critical thinking and knowing when AI-generated information, images or advice should not be trusted.
Key facts
- Netsafe says AI is already embedded in the digital lives of many young New Zealanders.
- The organisation is encouraging adults to improve their own AI understanding rather than leaving young people to navigate the technology alone.
- The focus is on helping young people use AI safely and constructively while understanding the potential for online harm.
Our take
There is a useful lesson here for New Zealand organisations as well as families and schools. The next generation entering tertiary education and the workforce will increasingly arrive with established AI habits. The question for organisations will be less about whether people use AI and more about whether they know how to use it responsibly.
That makes practical AI literacy increasingly important. New Zealand organisations should teach people how to check AI-generated information, protect confidential and personal information, recognise manipulated content and understand when human judgement is required. For professional services, those skills will be particularly important because confident use of AI still needs to sit alongside accuracy, confidentiality and professional responsibility.
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