Youth Development Blue Book: 78.5% of Minor Netizens Use AI Daily, 83% of Surveyed Teachers Worry About Misuse

The opening ceremony of the 2026 National Cybersecurity Week was held on September 14 in Jinan, Shandong, where the Youth Development Blue Book: National Survey Report on Internet Use by Minors was released. The report says China has 198 million minor netizens with a 98.3% internet penetration rate, and the urban-rural penetration gap has narrowed to 0.4 percentage points. The survey shows 78.5% of surveyed minor netizens use AI daily for study, creation or entertainment, and 83% of surveyed teachers worry about students misusing AI.

The figures turn minors' AI use from scattered discussion into a verifiable scale fact: with nearly 80% of 198 million minor netizens using AI daily, learning AI products face users who already have usage habits, raising requirements for product design and content safety. The 83% teacher concern and 23.1% dependence concern point to the same gap: content discernment and ethical boundary education have not kept pace with usage. If tiered and categorized management of AI education products is implemented, it would directly change market access and compliance conditions for AI learning products aimed at minors. The report is survey data and provides no causal conclusion linking AI use to learning outcomes. AI learning products for minors may face tighter positioning and content review requirements under expected tiered and categorized management. Schools and teachers need to bring AI content discernment, algorithm bias identification and ethical boundaries into daily teaching and guidance.