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Today's schoolchildren are increasingly delegating academic tasks to generative artificial intelligence, which creates risks of reduced autonomy and academic integrity, especially in the context of low learning motivation. The study, conducted by the Laboratory for Comprehensive Childhood Studies at VVSU (Vladivostok State University), aimed to identify the attitudes of 16–17‑year‑old students towards AI and their actual usage strategies. In March and April 2026, two focus groups were held with 12 students aged 16–17: 8 in Moscow (4 boys, 4 girls) and 4 in Vladivostok (2 boys, 2 girls). The transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. According to the data, most students view AI positively as a source of information and a tool for structuring knowledge, while simultaneously recognising its role in diminishing critical thinking skills. At the same time, all participants actively use AI (ChatGPT, YandexGPT, GigaChat, and others) for tasks such as finding answers, preparing presentations, and even formulating prompts. The adolescents demonstrated high reflexivity, yet their actual learning practices often diverge from the declared value of independent thinking. Many admitted that they delegate homework and other intellectual tasks to AI. Moscow students more frequently expressed concerns about the “degradation of thinking”; their Vladivostok peers highlighted ethical and factual limitations of AI (unreliable quotations, data leaks). Schoolchildren from both cities pointed to the absence of systematic training in AI usage and the ambiguous stance of teachers, which further widens the cognitive‑behavioural gap. Pedagogical support is needed – primarily aimed at developing self‑regulation skills in students, as well as at training teachers to use artificial intelligence effectively within the educational process.

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