Survey finds 13 percent of teens have seen AI bullying content

Thirteen percent of 13 to 18-year-olds say they have encountered bullying material made with artificial intelligence, according to a survey by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare. The finding comes as the league and telecoms company Elisa expand their digital safety programme to primary schools, Yle reports.

The programme has reached more than 250,000 pupils in three years. Its organisers say children are encountering the risks of artificial intelligence, online scams and new forms of cyberbullying at increasingly young ages.

At Tervajoki School in Vaasa, pupils in grades three to six took part in a digital wellbeing lesson covering online interactions, AI and alternatives to screen time. Some pupils said they had app-specific limits on their screen time, while others had few or none.

Third-grader Ella Saarela said she does her homework before using screens and then usually goes outside to play. Fourth-grader Jari Mäkijouppila said he has no screen-time limits. He often sees AI-made videos about military history, which he said he finds irritating.

Teacher Anssi Tervonen said AI is part of daily life at the school, where 53 pupils use computers and tablets for about an hour during lessons each day. AI tools can open when pupils do assignments, and AI-generated summaries appear in Google searches, he said.

Tervonen said schools need more media education and clearer teaching about AI, but teachers may lack the knowledge to provide it. He also challenged the idea that children are naturally skilled with digital devices, saying basic computer and office software skills need to be taught. Differences in what families have at home, from laptops to phones, are reflected in pupils’ abilities, he said.

Sanna Viljanmaa, youth work coordinator for the league’s Ostrobothnia district, said children should learn that the same rules apply online as in person. If you would not say something to a friend face to face, she said, do not write it online.

Viljanmaa said children contact the league’s helpline and online services to report frightening or inappropriate material. The survey found that AI-generated bullying content included fabricated nude images, caricatures, deepfake videos and racist or hateful material. Cyberbullying is commonplace and can continue around the clock, she said.

One online trend known as Cat in a Hat spread across Finland within days in late October and caused confusion and fear among children, the article said.