The research, commissioned by health‑tech firm TrendLife, targeted parents who regularly use AI, have at least one school‑aged child using AI at home, and maintain regular contact with a relative aged 60 or older.
While 92% of respondents said their family understands or uses AI at the same level as, or better than, other families, only 42% reported reviewing or discussing their children’s AI use, and 82% said they felt at least moderately confident they could protect their children from cybersecurity and safety risks linked to AI.
Despite that confidence, 34% of participants said they were very or extremely concerned that their family could be left behind socially, professionally or financially if they did not keep developing their AI use, and 38% expressed worry about how either their children or an older relative were using AI.
The sharpest concerns emerged among parents aged 25 to 34, identified as both the most active AI users and the most anxious group; 62% of these younger parents already pay for an AI tool compared with 46% of all respondents, 49% expect AI to play a bigger role in family life, and 41% are very or extremely worried about being left behind.
Helping children learn or develop new AI‑related skills topped the priority list for this cohort, with four in ten citing it as their primary AI focus, indicating that their anxiety is tied to both personal use and their children’s future readiness.
AI tools are already embedded in daily school activity for many families: three‑quarters of households said their school‑aged children use general AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude for schoolwork, primarily for study help and research; 52% reported teenagers regularly using AI, and 32% said children aged five to 12 use it regularly.
Privacy and security of personal data were the most common concerns, cited by 58% of respondents as a top‑three issue, followed by AI accuracy (47%) and the risk of family members relying too heavily on AI instead of forming their own judgment (45%). A gender divide emerged, with fathers more likely than mothers to pay for AI tools (54% versus 37%) and to welcome a larger role for AI in family life (46% versus 36%).
"AI has moved into family life faster than the conversations that should go with it," said Lynette Owens, vice president of consumer education at TrendLife. "These are parents who already use AI themselves and have children who use it too, yet they are more confident than their level of oversight would suggest. Confidence is not the same as active oversight when children are using AI."
The Australian findings are part of a broader six‑market survey that included 6,695 respondents overall; however, TrendLife notes that the Australian sample reflects a narrower group of AI‑engaged families rather than the general population.