AI Is Making Our Kids Dumber and Schools Are Letting It Happen
Mar 8, 2026
They dig into an MIT study showing timing of AI use changes how well kids remember and engage. They explain why using AI first can replace thinking and why schools may be unintentionally enabling outsourcing. They share the “forklift at the gym” analogy to warn against over-reliance and offer a simple Brain-First rule plus prompts to make AI a challenger, not a writer.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Using AI For Calories Worked Only After Doing The Prep
Justin describes using AI to calculate calories but his nutritionist warned image-based calorie guesses are unreliable.
He weighed food first and used AI to interpret data, illustrating 'do the work then use AI' in daily life.
insights INSIGHT
When You Use AI Matters For Brain Engagement
When students think first and then use AI their EEGs show increased neural activity, better planning, attention, and memory processing.
Students who used AI first showed flatlined cognitive engagement that dropped even after stopping AI use, indicating diminished recall and effortful processing.
insights INSIGHT
Schools Are Normalising AI Use And Lowering Standards
Schools are rapidly adopting AI for lessons and grading, which can normalize outsourcing thinking.
Justin cites reports where up to 95% of university students use AI constantly and lecturers feel reduced to plagiarism detectors.
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AI is writing essays. AI is passing exams. AI is graduating with honours.
But what’s happening to our kids’ brains?
When an MIT study found students who used ChatGPT had dramatically worse recall, headlines screamed: “AI is destroying intelligence.” The truth is more complicated — and more confronting.
In this episode, Justin and Kylie unpack what AI is actually doing to developing brains, why schools may be accidentally making it worse, and the one rule every family needs before a child touches ChatGPT again.
Because this isn’t about banning AI. It’s about protecting your child’s ability to think.
KEY POINTS
Brain first, then AI
What EEG scans revealed about neural engagement
Why students using AI first “never recovered” cognitively
The alarming reality inside high schools and universities
How over-reliance weakens critical thinking (even in doctors)
The “forklift at the gym” analogy from Alfie Kohn
Why productive struggle is essential for learning
Practical scripts parents can use at home
What schools should be doing differently
QUOTE OF THE EPISODE
“Using AI to write for you is like bringing a forklift to the gym. The weights get lifted — but you don’t get stronger.”
ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS
Create the Brain-First Rule. No AI use until your child has attempted the task independently.
Use AI as a Challenger, Not a Writer. Instead of “Write this for me,” teach them to ask: “Ask me to explain my argument before giving feedback.” “Challenge my reasoning with three hard questions.”
Model It Yourself. Let your kids see you think first, then refine with technology.
Have the Long-Term Conversation. Ask: Do you want to think for yourself — or let a machine think for you?
Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families