Senators question Google on AI’s impact on schoolchildren

US senators are asking Google to explain how its artificial intelligence tools affect schoolchildren, according to the Wall Street Journal. The request lands at an awkward moment for the company. Google has spent the fall pushing more AI into classrooms, and child safety advocates have spent the same stretch warning that some of these features are not ready for kids. What lawmakers want to know The core ask is straightforward. Senators want information from Google about the effects its AI products are having on students. That question carries unusual weight because of where Google sits in American education. Chromebooks account for approximately 59% of US school devices, which gives Google’s AI tools a direct line to millions of students. The sharpest of those data points came from Common Sense Media. In a July 2026 report, the nonprofit concluded that Google Search’s AI features, including AI Overview and AI Mode, pose an “unacceptable risk” to kids. The group’s testing was not a casual spot check. Researchers ran more than 2,600 searches to evaluate how the tools behave when young users interact with them. AI Mode completed 100% of homework assignments it was given, while missing...