When children instinctively turn to generative AI before attempting a problem on their own, they are participating in a phenomenon known as cognitive offloading. Education experts warn that this habit of outsourcing mental effort can have a detrimental impact on a child's long-term intellectual independence. By bypassing the initial struggle of a task, students may be inadvertently eroding their capacity for deep, original thought. Kwena Moabela spoke to Dr. Genevive Da Silva - Educational Psychologist.