EUROPE’S largest education union warned the government that families “cannot wait 18 months” for it to take action on AI use in schools.

National Education Union (NEU) general secretary Daniel Kebede pointed out that despite the “extraordinary scale of AI use among young people,” the national curriculum barely mentions any of these tools.

Mr Kebede reacted to new data revealing that the vast majority of young people — 97 per cent — used AI tools regularly, while 60 per cent worry it will be used to make inappropriate images.

Research published by UK Safer Internet Centre and Nominet also found that 12 per cent of teenagers aged between 13 and 17 have already seen their peers using AI to create sexualised images of other people.

Despite these fears, more than half (58 per cent) of the 2,000 eight to 17-year-olds surveyed said AI makes their lives better.

The research also revealed that more than two in five (41 per cent) young people think AI is able to provide emotional support, and 34 per cent said it can help with mental health and feelings.

“Young people are already using AI at an unprecedented rate, including for their homework and studying,” Mr Kebede said.

“Yet the evidence is clear that the risks of AI use in education, particularly for young people’s learning and development, overshadow the benefits.

“The government’s own Curriculum & Assessment Review recognises this widening gap and the urgent need for a stronger focus on critical thinking and media and digital literacy.

“But teachers and their students, as well as parents, cannot be expected to wait a further 18 months for action from government.”

He warned this leaves “teachers without the necessary guidance, training and resources needed to teach pupils about AI’s capabilities and risks.”

The leader of the NEU also called on the government to “act urgently” to new tech’s use outside of the classroom.

He said: “Equally concerning is the number of young people who are relying on AI for emotional support, and those worried about AI being used to create inappropriate images of them.

“These findings must serve as a clarion call for government to act urgently to ensure that children have the information, support and resources they need to make informed, safe and ethical decisions about AI.”

The survey follows the launch of an investigation into billionaire Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool by Britain’s data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office over its nudifying functions.