One in five urban kids in China use AI-enabled devices

As artificial intelligence weaves its way into daily life, Chinese kids are embracing the technology through a somewhat unexpected medium: smart watches. The "Youth Blue Book: Report on Internet Use of Chinese Minors 2024," published by the Institute of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, reveals that over 45% of minors surveyed have used an AI-powered product at least once. In cities, 20.5% of minors reported using AI-enabled devices, compared to 8.1% in rural areas.

As reported by Sixth Tone, the surge in AI-enabled wearables for children comes in the wake of government crackdowns on screen time for minors. Phone bans in Chinese schools are driving parents towards smart watches, particularly those by the brand Xiaotiancai, or "Little Genius." Besides allowing parents to contact kids and track their location, vital signs and emotional state, the devices feature native AI apps like one that turns text prompts into drawings, and a game that uses chatbots for interacting with characters.

The trend mirrors global developments in AI-integrated wearables, including Meta's continued push into smart glasses (worth a watch: this interview with Mark Zuckerberg by The Verge). As experiments with dedicated AI hardware proliferate worldwide, China's experience with smart watches for kids could offer valuable insights into how younger generations might adopt and interact with artificial intelligence.