[Air-L] A child rights audit of GenAI in EdTech: Learning from five UK case studies

[Sonia Livingstone]

Apologies for cross-posting

A child rights audit of GenAI in EdTech: Learning from five UK case studies

A new report by the Digital Futures for Children centre by Ayça Atabey, Kim Sylwander and Sonia Livingstone uses sociolegal techniques to determine whether five GenAI tools used in the classroom - Character.AI, Grammarly, MagicSchool AI, Microsoft Copilot and Mind's Eye -  uphold key rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Key findings

Some AI tools empowered and helped children, supporting their right to participate. But all five AI tools were found to share children's data in ways that do not comply with GDPR, exposing children to commercial exploitation.

Some AI tools were providing misleading or out-of-context information, leading to significant safeguarding concerns. For example, when children in the UK shared their mental health struggles, they were given US helpline numbers they couldn't call.

Other problematic instances included: MagicSchool AI (marketed as "best for safety") exposes children as young as 12 to tracking by erotic and friend finder websites. Character.AI shares inconsistent information and is known to trigger severe dependencies. Grammarly falsely accuses students of plagiarism while allowing companies like Facebook and Google to track their activity.

For more information

Read the report at https://www.digital-futures-for-children.net/our-work/genai-edtech

For the DFC, please visit https://www.digital-futures-for-children.net/home

For our ongoing EdTech research, visit https://www.digital-futures-for-children.net/our-work/edtech-future

Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.digital-futures-for-children.net/contact-us

All the very best, Sonia

Professor Sonia Livingstone OBE, FBA, FAcSS, FBPS, FRSA
FAW.7.01M, Department of Media and Communications
London School of Economics and Political Science
London WC2A 2AE