Raising Children in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Smarter or Sleepier?

Imagine a world where a tool can do half the thinking for your child and science says it might already be here.

A recent MIT study found that students using ChatGPT showed nearly50% less brain activitythan those who didn’t.1

For parents raising children in a world where AI is as common as Google or YouTube, this raises a big question:

Are our kids becoming smarter, or just a little sleepier?

The students weren’t asked tothink deeply,defend their ideasorreflecton what they wrote. They just needed to finish a task.

So, of course, AI did most of the heavy lifting. The test measured speed and completion, not real learning.

So yes, AI can make us think less, if we let it.

But that’s true for every technology that makes life easier.

Calculators softened our mental maths. GPS blurred our sense of direction. Google made us forgetful.

But they also freed our minds for higher thinking, strategy, creativity, and problem-solving.

For our children, this is the new world they’re growing up in.

AI isn’t just a trend; it’s the environment they’ll live, learn and work in.

The challenge for us as Muslim parents is not to resist it, but to guide our children to use itwith purpose and consciousness.

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, each of those will be questioned.”2

This verse reminds us that true intelligence is not just about knowing things, but beingaccountablefor how we use that knowledge.

Our children must learn to use tools like ChatGPT not as a replacement for thinking, but as a way to thinkbetter, to ask stronger questions, to explore with curiosity and to reflect before responding.

The Prophet ﷺ said“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though both have goodness. Strive for that which benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not give up.”3

This hadith reminds us that strength in a believer is multidimensional, it goes beyond physical power to includeintellectual, emotional and spiritual strength.

In today’s world, where our children are growing up surrounded by AI, digital tools, and vast streams of information, this means nurturing their ability to:

- Discern truth from falsehood:Evaluate online content critically, rather than accepting everything at face value.

- Think independently & reflectively:Use AI tools to enhance thinking, not replace it.

- Exercise discipline & ethical decision-making:Apply knowledge responsibly, consistent with Islamic values.

Intellectual strength is as essential as physical or spiritual strength.

A child who can question, analyse and make thoughtful ethical choices in the digital world is embodying the “strong believer” praised by the Prophet ﷺ

Practical ways to help our children grow smarter, not sleepier, in the age of AI:

🧠Encourage exploration, not shortcuts:Ask why they used an AI tool and what they learned from it.

🎨Promote creativity with tools:TryCanva Magic Writefor visual storytelling orKhanmigofor safe, guided learning.

🕋Keep faith (Imān) at the centre:UseTarteelapp for Quran memorisation.

AI won’t make our children sleepier unless we stop teaching them tothink, reflect and use their knowledge with ihsan and taqwa.By guiding them thoughtfully, we prepare children who are not only tech-savvy but also ethically aware, spiritually grounded and ready to thrive in the modern world.

Links

A curated selection of valuable links.

Studies & Articles:

MIT Media Lab study on brain activity with ChatGPT:Time article

How AI is changing education:LinkedIn article

Videos & Talks:

YouTube — “MIT just proved how ChatGPT impacts our brains”:Video

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Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y.T., Situ, J., Liao, X.-H., Beresnitzky, A.V., Braunstein, I., & Maes, P. (2025, June 10).Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task[Pre‑print].

Surah Al-Isra - 7:36 [وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۖ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَـٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا]

Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, 2664