What’s one skill no one is teaching their kids, but you are?
I asked 100 CEOs this question, and here are the 6 top answers:
Steven Bartlett, Founder of FlightStory, Thirdweb, The Diary Of A CEO & Investor in more than 60 companies.
This might sound really strange, but at this exact moment in time, I’d be teaching my children “algorithmic self-defence” – the disciplined habit of curating and questioning every data stream that fights for their attention on the internet.
AI now creates their feeds, edits their photos, and even mimics trusted voices. The brain treats every pop-up like a threat, triggering dopamine that disrupts focus, sleep, your nervous system, and judgement.
Do you know what echo chamber AI currently has your child trapped in? I’d run a simple daily drill with them: spot the source of where one post that made you feel emotional came from, name what it’s trying to make you feel, explain why the algorithm is showing it to you, then fact-check it with a totally different source before letting the feeling stick. That pause creates just enough friction to slow the urge to react and trains your brain to create the split second it needs to shift from autopilot to clear thinking.
We need this now because the internet is flooded with deepfakes and chatbots designed to hijack attention. A recent study found that teens who spent eight weeks becoming more algorithm-aware – including practising a quick breathing reset – were 38% less likely to believe everything they read, and even slept better with lower stress. In a world where AI can weaponise distraction, guarding your attention is as fundamental as learning to read. I want my future kids to own their brain space, choosing calmly what deserves to live rent-free in their heads.
Louise Hill, Founder and CEO of GoHenry.
"How to manage their money. It’s not true that no one is teaching their kids about money, but there’s a severe lack of focus on financial education in schools, and a clear lack of know-how among parents about how to teach it. Coupled with an increasingly cashless world where kids are growing up on gaming platforms and social media (...) exchanging [money] without seeing it change hands - this invisibility makes teaching money skills from a young age even more crucial.
This is how GoHenry came about (...) with a mission to teach my kids how to manage money in a digital world. I started pinning iTunes receipts (yes, it was that long ago!) to the fridge to show them that the music they were downloading cost real money.
I spoke to other parents facing similar issues - one mum had an old wreck of a car turn up after her son bought what he thought was a ‘toy’ on eBay. These stories are where the idea for GoHenry came from: a money app and prepaid debit card to help kids learn real-world money management. Fast-forward 13 years - over 2.2 million children have learnt money skills with us.
Our research shows money skills can boost savings (23% of 6-18-year-olds are already saving for their first home) and earnings (38% of Gen A kids have started or plan to start a side-hustle). It’s also what young people are crying out for - 84% told us they want to learn about money in schools, with over 80% saying it’s as or more important than subjects like English and Maths.
Kids want to learn. That’s where it starts, which is why we’re campaigning for financial education to be made compulsory in the Government’s Curriculum Review. Money skills aren’t a nice-to-have, they’re essential and we’re failing young people if we don’t treat them that way.”
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.