Teens and AI can produce a finished assignment, but what happened to the thinking along the way? Michelle Sengara offers a framework for distinguishing useful help from cognitive outsourcing. The question starts with how a teenager uses the tool, rather than whether the tool is available.
Convenience has an example at home: adults take shortcuts too. Asking a teen to work through a problem means considering the habits being modelled around them. Where does getting assistance leave room for learning, and where does it take over?
Play adds another layer. Creating something on a screen and figuring something out with friends offer different experiences. Michelle puts those everyday choices alongside schoolwork to question what meaningful technology use actually involves.
Topics: teens and AI, cognitive outsourcing, adult habits, screen time, independent thinking
GUEST: Michelle Sengara | Teaching and learning | Ontario | Michelle Sengara, PhD
Originally aired on2026-10-06
