DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.27280.1 ISSN: 2398-502X

Use and perceptions of Artificial Intelligence among adolescents in Bradford, England: Evidence from Born in Bradford: Age of Wonder

Valerie Yap, Amy Orben, Amira Skeggs, John Pickavance, Megan Wood
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Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are increasingly used by adolescents in academic contexts, yet population-level evidence from community samples remains limited, particularly among under-represented populations. We described quantitative data collected in the 2024/25 round of Born in Bradford: Age of Wonder, an ongoing longitudinal study of secondary school pupils in Bradford, UK. Participants in Years 8–10 (aged 12–15) completed self-report surveys on GenAI use frequency across nine purposes, trust in and verification of GenAI outputs, and perceived usefulness for four school subject categories. Responses were summarised by year group and sex. Of 1,443 pupils, 73.5% reported using GenAI for any purpose at least once or twice per year, with 25.5% reporting daily use. School work was the most common purpose (36.6% at least weekly), followed by checking work (32.0%) and getting information (25.3%). Daily use was higher among males than females (28.3% vs 23.2%) and among Year 8 students than Year 9 and Year 10 (34.9% vs 23.8% and 24.1%). 39.4% reported not trusting GenAI outputs at all, while 47.5% reported never verifying them. Perceived usefulness was generally low across all academic subject types, with GenAI use for creative subjects rated least useful (41.1% reported ‘not at all useful’) and problem-solving subjects (e.g., maths) most useful (21.1% rating ‘very useful’). GenAI use is common among adolescents in Bradford, concentrated in academic contexts, with notable variation by year group and sex. The combination of low trust and low verification across the sample highlights a potential gap in GenAI literacy. These findings offer a descriptive baseline from sample of adolescents of predominantly Pakistani (British) ethnicity that are among the highest quintile for deprivation, who are largely absent from existing research. They also provide a foundation for future investigation of how GenAI use relates to educational engagement and wider adolescent outcomes.

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