A Framework for Facilitating Young People’s Sociocritical AI Literacies

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in young people’s lives, there is an urgent need for conceptual educational frameworks that sufficiently integrate technical skills with the ethical and social implications of AI. This essay proposes a sociocritical AI literacies framework centered on four interrelated components—being, knowing, acting, and making—to support children and youth in developing technical critical consciousness, computational knowledge, and collective agency. Drawing from traditions in critical pedagogy and critical literacy studies, this actionable framework emphasizes identity, justice, and creativity, positioning young people not as passive users but as capable co-creators of more equitable AI futures. This approach calls for educators and communities to take children and youth perspectives seriously and holistically in reimagining technosocial learning environments.