Raising the Next Gen-AI-Ration : Participatory Approaches to the Development of AI Ethics Literacy Education for Children in Europe

Collyer-Hoar, Gail and Rubegni, Elisa (2025) Raising the Next Gen-AI-Ration : Participatory Approaches to the Development of AI Ethics Literacy Education for Children in Europe. In: Participatory Design Conference 2026 (PDC '26) :. ACM. (In Press)

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Abstract

We present a two-stage participatory design process for developing AI ethics literacy activities for children aged 8-12. In Stage One, we collaborated with teachers, a child psychologist, an AI expert, and CCI researchers to explore how ethical principles could be contextualised and embedded within children’s everyday encounters with AI. Results from these inter-disciplinary discussions informed the creation of scenario-based materials designed to foster critical reflection. Stage Two piloted these materials with children, examining how they engaged with different ethical concepts and identifying areas requiring additional scaffolding, particularly for abstract principles. Reflecting on this process, we discuss how participatory design functioned as both a methodological approach and as a reflective and transformative practice. Through our inter-generational approach, we demonstrate the value of collaboration in shaping meaningful AI ethics literacy interventions.