The Challenge Learners at Inspire Education Group, aged 16-19, face a multifaceted challenge in their understanding and responsible use of Generative AI (GAI) tools. The college's well-intentioned decision to restrict GAI access within the Workspace domain seeks to mitigate serious safeguarding risks. These risks include exposure to harmful or biased content, potential plagiarism, and challenges surrounding source verification. However, this creates a critical knowledge and experience gap. Evidence suggests that learners are actively engaging with powerful GAI platforms outside the classroom on their personal devices. This raises concerns about their ability to navigate the complex ethical landscape of AI without structured guidance. Why It Matters The implications of this challenge are significant and extend beyond the immediate academic environment: Compromised Critical Thinking: Unmonitored use of GAI tools could lead learners to become over-reliant on AI-generated outputs. This risks hindering the development of independent critical thinking and the essential ability to evaluate the reliability of information. Vulnerability to Misinformation: Without a clear understanding of AI limitations and biases, learners may unknowingly amplify or reproduce harmful content, compromising their role as informed digital citizens. Ethical Dilemmas: The ease of content generation and manipulation enabled by GAI tools, coupled with a lack of ethical literacy, could lead to unintentional plagiarism or misuse of intellectual property. Missed Potential for Growth: Denying learners a safe, structured environment to explore GAI holds them back from harnessing its full potential for collaboration, creative expression, and personalized learning experiences. This challenge underscores the crucial need to find a balance between necessary safeguarding and responsible empowerment. If we don't, we risk raising a generation of learners unprepared to ethically and effectively manage the transformative power of AI.