A Moment That Calls For Mothers’ Voices
As AI accelerates faster than oversight, Count on Mothers is gathering what mothers across America are seeing and experiencing— to inform the safeguards families urgently need.
We’re living in a moment when technology is advancing faster than any system built to protect our children. In the absence of regulation or industry accountability, we need real voices and real data to understand how these changes are affecting families. This study begins there — by asking mothers what they’re seeing, feeling, and needing in real time.
Why We’re Doing This
In the span of a year, AI has moved from headlines into classrooms, bedrooms, and the devices our children use to learn, create, and connect. New products are being released at a pace rarely seen in tech — faster than most parents, educators, or policymakers can keep up with — and in an environment that remains unregulated and untested.
That’s why Count on Mothers launched the AI & Child Safety: Mothers’ Views on a Rising Influence in Kids’ Lives study. The survey is designed to understand how mothers are experiencing this shift — what they notice, what they worry about, and what they hope for as AI becomes embedded in their children’s lives.
The survey asks mothers across the country:
If and how they see their children using AI, from chatbots and learning tools to digital companions and creative apps;
What concerns, if any, they have about safety, privacy, or emotional effects;
What they observe in their children’s behavior, learning, or well-being;
How confident they feel in protecting their children’s privacy online; and
Which safety standards or policies they believe are most important right now.
By gathering these perspectives and experiences, we aim to create a data-driven picture of how families are adapting to the rapid rise of AI — and to identify the safeguards and standards that mothers across all ideologies, regions, and backgrounds say are most urgently needed.
What We’re Building On
This study builds on growing research into how children and families are engaging with artificial intelligence.
A Common Sense Media (2024) report, “The Dawn of the AI Era,” found that 51% of teens had used an AI chatbot, often for schoolwork or companionship, while just 37% of those parents knew their child had done so, 23% believed their teen had not used generative AI at all, and 39% were unsure — highlighting a wide visibility gap between generations.
In 2025, a HEAT Initiative and ParentsTogether report, “Darling, Please Come Back Soon,” revealed that some AI “companions” are encouraging secrecy, simulated intimacy, and even self-harm references among minors, calling for urgent age-verification and ethical design standards.
Building on these findings, the AI & Child Safety survey goes deeper into the parental perspective — gathering nationally representative data from more than 2,000 mothers across the United States. The study examines awareness, concerns, and confidence as AI becomes more prevalent and more deeply woven into everyday family life.
Together, these findings will offer the clearest national snapshot yet of how mothers are navigating the promises and risks of AI — and what they believe must happen next to keep families safe, informed, and empowered.
Our Research Partners
This study is co-led by:
Dr. Dana Suskind, University of Chicago — surgeon, author, and founder of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, whose research links early brain development to environment and policy. Dr. Suskind has recently written about her existential concern over AI’s influence on developing brains, “Every time we replace a human with AI, we risk rewiring how a child relates to the world.”
Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr, University College London — researcher, author of Smartphone Nation, and frequent guest on CNN, the BBC, and recently on Oprah. Her work examines how digital design shapes identity, gender, and safety. In her latest book, she argues that:
1️⃣ Technology is advancing faster than policy can adapt.
2️⃣ Design choices are shaping children’s sense of self and community.
3️⃣ Online safety must be treated as a public health issue, not a private choice.
Together, Dr. Suskind and Dr. Regehr bring complementary expertise in neuroscience, digital culture, and public policy — and a shared commitment to ensuring that research on AI and childhood begins with listening to mothers.
Our Advocacy Partners
We’re grateful to our advocacy collaborators — MAMA, Scrolling2Death, and the Institute for Families and Technology — who are helping ensure that this data drives real change.
MAMA advocates for policy and industry standards that protect children and support parents in navigating digital design.
Scrolling2Death raises awareness about the physical and emotional health harms of unregulated digital platforms.
Institute for Families and Technology develops evidence-based frameworks for ethical innovation and responsible tech use.
Their partnership ensures that mothers’ insights reach those shaping technology and policy — turning data into action.
Where We Are Now
The AI & Child Safety survey is in field for one more week. Each response from across the country adds depth to the national picture we’re building — of mothers navigating a technology landscape that is largely untested and wholly unregulated.
What’s Next
We’ll share preliminary insights and topline data from this landmark study in the next issue of Count on Mothers Report.
For now, you can participate by:
👉 Taking the AI & Child Safety Survey (5 minutes)
👉 Sharing it with mothers and caregivers in your network
Every response strengthens the data — ensuring that what mothers see and experience today shapes the policies and protections families need now.
A Conversation That Says Everything
Last week, one of our Anchor Mom Advisors from Colorado shared the AI & Child Safety survey in her local Facebook group.
Not long after, another mom replied:
“This sparked a two-hour discussion with my 16-year-old. I never finished the survey.”
Of course, we want every mother to finish the survey (it’s timed at just five minutes).
But her comment stopped us — because it captured something equally important: this study is already doing what it’s meant to do — starting conversations between parents and children about the technologies shaping their lives.
Who are Anchor Mom Advisors?
From small towns to cities, the Anchor Mom Advisors are helping bring this survey into communities across the United States — their work ensures that mothers from every region, background, and political perspective have the chance to be heard in this national study.
The Anchor Mom Advisor program was launched after the release of Pulse Check 2025: Mothers on Child Mental Health Impacts, Care, and Support. Following that report, seven mothers who participated in the survey joined a roundtable discussion sponsored by Inseparable, a national mental health advocacy organization advancing family-centered policies. The mothers’ leadership inspired us to build a standing network of Advisors representing mothers in every region.
Today, Anchor Mom Advisors represent Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, Nebraska, Virginia, New Hampshire, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Vermont.
If your state is not represented and the Count on Mothers research mission resonates with you — ensuring that mothers’ voices from all regions and backgrounds are counted to inform policymaking — let us know. They help ensure representative participation and bring local realities into the national conversation.
👉 Become an Anchor Mom Advisor
Meet the Anchor Mom Who Shared the Facebook Story
Nikki Brooker is the founder of YANAM2M, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to transforming motherhood by supporting post-partem moms. They serve over 5,000 new mothers across Colorado providing connection, care, and community during the most critical year of a mother’s life. These are moms who give birth at one of their participating hospitals, and they provide a full year of wrap-around support. YANA stands for You Are Not Alone. Thank you, Nikki, for impacting so many young mothers’ lives.
In Gratitude
Our deepest thanks to every mother who has taken the time to participate, and to our research and advocacy partners who make this work possible.
When mothers’ voices are in the data, technology becomes more humane, policy becomes more grounded, and the future becomes safer — for all families.