Forget about cheating homework buddies and chatbot. Some kids are jumping on a new AI trend: thinking it sucks.

In the four years since chatbots became mainstream and their marketing campaigns accelerated, young people have become increasingly skeptical of the hype around LLMs. Yes, many of them still use technology for schoolwork and company, but according to market research firm YPulse, 37 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 cringe when they watch AI content like music and videos, and more than half worry about misinformation and deepfakes.

Surveys on young people’s attitudes towards AI show many contradictions. Adoption rates are high and most American teens say they use chatbots, but enthusiasm is mixed. A recent Pew Research report found that while many teens think AI will be good for them personally, more than a quarter of their cohort believe AI will have a negative impact on society in the next 20 years, citing job losses, declining critical thinking skills, and environmental impacts as concerns.

Young people often enthusiastically embrace new consumer technologies, but Melanie Green, a communications professor at the University at Buffalo, says AI is different. This time, the moral panic is not coming from the older generations; In fact, children are put off by the way AI is forced on them by adults and tech corporations. They are also, Green says, “very aware that whatever disruption occurs, their generation will be the most affected.”

Ergo, eyes rolling. At Bluesky, parents unite over their children’s distrust of AI, with many reporting that their children come home saying “that’s AI” in the sense of “that’s nonsense.” On Reddit, educators share that students (even those who use AI) worry about its consequences and can’t stand the art it produces. WIRED spoke to young people, their parents and their teachers to find out why some kids don’t want to jump on the AI ​​bandwagon.