Studying with AI, without handing over the thinking

In short: Around half of Swiss teenagers use AI tools such as ChatGPT regularly, many of them for school. Used well, AI is a powerful study partner that explains, quizzes and gives feedback. Used badly, it becomes a substitute for thinking: the homework shines, but performance collapses in an exam with no aids. The simple rule for home: AI may guide, but not deliver.

Few questions occupy parents as much as this one right now: should my child use ChatGPT and similar tools for studying, and if so, how? The technology has long since arrived in the children’s room. Rather than banning it or allowing it blindly, it is worth looking clearly at what AI can really do for learning, and where it does harm.

How common is AI in learning?

AI tools are part of everyday life for many students. Whether their use is allowed is decided in Switzerland by each school itself, usually even by the individual teacher. There is no single rule, so parents do well to ask when in doubt. For an overview of the current state, the Canton of Zürich’s Digital Learning Hub offers a curated collection of studies and publications.

The core principle: AI may guide, not deliver

The single most important point: learning happens in the child’s head, not in the chat window. Research points in a clear direction: when children offload the thinking to AI, the homework looks good, but performance in unaided exams drops markedly. The reason is well established in learning science. We retain material above all when we retrieve and produce it ourselves, not when we read off a finished answer, an effect explored under the testing effect. If the child lets the AI solve the task, the AI has worked, but the child has not learned.

Helpful and harmful use

Whether AI helps or harms depends entirely on what it is used for.

Helpful:

• having a difficult concept explained simply, in several different ways
• being quizzed on a topic and generating your own practice questions
• getting feedback on the structure or clarity of a text the child wrote themselves
• checking your own solution and asking why something was wrong

Harmful:

• letting the AI write the essay or the summary
• having maths problems solved without understanding the steps yourself
• taking answers on trust, because AI can present things convincingly but wrongly

Which tools for which age?

For younger children, purpose-built learning tools that prompt thinking rather than simply handing over answers are the better fit. For teenagers from around age 13, general assistants such as ChatGPT or Claude make sense, but only combined with clear family rules. More important than the choice of tool is the attitude behind it: AI is a tool for understanding, not a shortcut around it.

Where AI reaches its limits

The decisive moments in a school career happen without AI. Gymnasium preparation leads up to an exam the child sits alone, and most of everyday school also demands their own ability. That is exactly why real understanding, a secure vocabulary and exam routine cannot be delegated to an AI. They come from active practice, as our articles on study routines that actually stick and study techniques from ETH show. AI can accompany this path, but not replace it.

How Lern Academy helps

This is exactly where we come in. Lern Academy offers individual one-to-one tutoring in which a human makes sure your child really does the thinking. Our tutors show how AI can be used as a critical study partner without becoming a crutch, and build precisely the skills that count in exams. Where needed, lessons are held in German or English.

Frequently asked questions

At what age can my child use ChatGPT for studying? ChatGPT is allowed from age 13 per its provider, and under 18 with a parent’s consent. For younger children, purpose-built learning tools are better. What matters are clear family rules: AI may explain and quiz, but not do the task.

Is AI allowed for studying and in exams? In Switzerland each school, and often the individual teacher, decides this. When in doubt, ask. The Zürich entrance exam (ZAP) and most tests take place without AI.

Does AI harm learning? Not in itself. It becomes harmful when the child offloads the thinking: homework looks good, but performance drops in unaided exams.

How do you use AI well for studying? As a critical study partner: have it explain concepts, generate practice questions, quiz your child, or give feedback on structure. What does not help is letting it write the essay or solve the problem for you.

Whether and how AI is allowed at school is set by each school. For the Canton of Zürich, the official bodies are authoritative.

Sources: ChatGPT (Wikipedia), Digital Learning Hub, Canton of Zürich.