Seven out of ten high school students use generative AI for school research, reveals ICT Education

The new edition of the Cetic.br study also shows data on the use of video platforms as information sources and the use of mobile devices in schools

São Paulo, September 16, 2025 – Seven out of ten Brazilian high school students, internet users, already resort to generative artificial intelligence tools — such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini — to conduct school research. However, only 32% say they have received guidance at school on how to use these technologies. This is shown in the 15th edition of the ICT Education, a survey conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). The survey was released on Tuesday (16) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br).

Even in lesser numbers, the use of generative AI also appears among students in the initial (15%) and final years (39%) of elementary school. Considering the group of internet-using students from elementary and high school, the proportion reaches 37%. Among them, only 19% claim to have been instructed by teachers on how to apply the technology in learning activities.

Video channels and apps as search tools
Outside the classrooms, a large portion of students utilizes digital technologies, such as educational platforms and internet websites, for tasks requested by teachers or to learn something of interest. Among the most frequently cited activities are: searching for information about a subject or exercise they didn't understand well (86%), researching to do school assignments (84%), and using the internet or apps to practice something they are learning (78%).

For the first time, the survey explored the resources adopted by students in conducting school research. While 74% resort to search websites, 72% mentioned video channels and apps as information sources.

"The 2024 edition of the survey reveals a scenario of rapid transformations. We see that generative AI is already a reality for more than two-thirds of high school students, but this adoption still lacks structured pedagogical mediation for critical use. At the same time, the data show a shift in search behavior for conducting schoolwork, with video platforms becoming as relevant research sources for students as traditional search engines," notes Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br | NIC.br.

For Renata Mielli, coordinator of CGI.br, the indicators on the use of generative AI by students require attention. "We need to understand in greater depth how this use is occurring at a school age that involves teaching and learning processes about cultural, social, and economic contexts. Besides the wrong information these tools can offer, the answers can contain biases of all sorts that, without adequate mediation, can substantially interfere in the formation process of an entire generation. Especially considering the limits that teachers and the school environment as a whole still have in the face of a new technology, and the absence of more explicit guidelines on how to use these tools, which are still unregulated."

Teacher training
The ICT Education 2024 points out that 54% of teachers engaged in continuous professional development activities focused on the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning processes in the 12 months prior to the survey. However, in municipal networks, this percentage dropped from 62% in 2021 to 43% in 2024.

Among teachers who participated in training and updating initiatives, 82% took courses related to platforms, computer programs, or apps used in creating didactic materials. Additionally, 79% sought information on how to use digital technologies to adapt activities to students' learning paces.

Participation in training initiatives on how to guide students on the safe use of digital technologies (69%), on media education and critical media use in classrooms (68%), and the use of AI in educational activities (59%) were cited less frequently.

Digital and media education
Regarding the provision of digital and media education for students, 89% of pedagogical coordinators state that the institution where they work has promoted activities on topics related to cyberbullying, internet exposure, information integrity, privacy, and dissemination of AI and algorithm-based resources. However, the challenge lies in incorporating these topics into school content in a continuous and systematic way. According to 30% of coordinators, these topics are addressed with students only when necessary or when students have a doubt. In 49% of institutions, activities on these topics are conducted once or twice a year.

"This data set points to significant changes in the educational ecosystem, reinforcing the urgency to discuss not only access but how to promote the critical, safe, and creative use of digital technologies for learning, ensuring the well-being and rights of children and adolescents," assesses Barbosa.

Connectivity in schools
The ICT Education 2024 reveals that 96% of Brazilian schools have internet access, highlighting the growth observed between 2020 and 2024 in municipal institutions (from 71% to 94%) and those located in rural areas (from 52% to 89%). Among those with connections, 88% have internet in the classroom, 20 percentage points more than recorded in the 2020 survey edition.

Despite advances in the connectivity of educational establishments, inequalities in students' access to digital resources persist. If in state schools, 67% of students use the internet for activities requested by teachers, in municipal networks, the proportion is just 27%.

The availability of network access in school spaces and digital devices for students remains a challenge for municipal schools, smaller schools, and those located in rural areas. In municipal basic education institutions, 75% have at least one internet-connected space for student use, but only 51% have computers for educational activities and 47% have internet access and devices for the students.

Use of personal mobile devices in schools
The data collection for the ICT Education survey occurred between August 2024 and March 2025, covering primarily the period before the enactment of Law No. 15,100, which was passed in January this year, restricting the use of mobile devices, such as cell phones, in basic education institutions.

The percentage of students accessing the internet at school through personal cell phones decreased from 55% in 2022 to 45% in 2024. In municipal schools, this proportion dropped from 32% to 20% over the same period, and in private schools, from 64% to 46%.

The rules adopted by schools regarding cell phone use also changed during the period. In 2023, 28% prohibited the use of cell phones by students and 64% allowed use only in certain spaces and times. In 2024, the proportion of schools not permitting the device increased to 39%, while permission in certain spaces and times decreased to 56%. In institutions with classes up to the initial years of elementary school, the non-permission of use increased from 43% to 61% between 2023 and 2024.

"The 2024 edition of the survey reflects the period of transition and adaptation of institutions to the new reality of integrating digital technologies into educational practices, initiated before Law No. 15,100, which introduces new rules for the use of cell phones by students in schools. The survey data corroborate the centrality of schools in the ongoing societal debate about the impacts of screen and digital device use on preserving children's and adolescents' rights and cognitive and psychosocial development," explains the ICT Education survey coordinator, Daniela Costa.

About the survey 
Conducted since 2010 by Cetic.br, ICT Education investigates the access, use, and appropriation of information and communication technologies (ICT) by students, teachers, pedagogical coordinators, and school managers from elementary and high schools, in teaching, learning, and educational management activities.

Since 2020, the survey has adopted an expanded sample that allows the production of data on schools located in rural and urban areas in a unified manner. According to the survey's sampling design, in even-numbered years, data is collected in person, through interviews with students, teachers, pedagogical coordinators, and school managers, and in odd-numbered years, only school managers are interviewed, through a telephone approach.

The 2024 edition of the ICT Education survey was conducted between August 2024 and March 2025, in 1,023 public schools (municipal, state, and federal) and private, located in urban and rural areas, which had elementary and high school classes, with national coverage. The interviews were conducted in person in schools through face-to-face CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing).

In total, 10,756 interviews were conducted, with data collected from 954 school managers, 864 pedagogical coordinators, 1,462 teachers, and 7,476 students. The results of ICT Education, including proportion tables, totals and margins of error, are available at https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/educacao/.

To review the survey launch, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB8BNOANyMc.

About Cetic.br 
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on internet access and use in Brazil, providing periodic analyses and information on the development of the network in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Study Center under the auspices of UNESCO and completes 20 years of operation in 2025. More information at https://cetic.br/.  

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity in charge of operating the .br domain, as well as distributing IP numbers and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br since 2005, and all resources raised come from its activities which are of an eminently private nature. It conducts actions and projects that benefit the Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br encompasses: Registro.br (https://registro.br), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), as well as projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br) and the Best Practices for the Internet in Brazil Portal (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also houses the W3C Chapter São Paulo office (https://w3c.br/). 

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to internet use and development in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, in which all sectors of society equally participate in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/. 

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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.