Start by asking what AI your child already sees or uses, then explore one example together and agree on a few age-appropriate rules. Explain that AI can generate useful-sounding responses by finding patterns, but it does not think or feel like a person—and it can be wrong. The goal is an ongoing conversation, not a one-time warning or a promise that any tool is completely safe.
Start with what your child already knows
Ask with curiosity rather than beginning with a lecture or accusation. Children may encounter AI in chatbots, schoolwork, games, voice assistants, or creative tools. You do not need to know every product or present yourself as an expert.
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- “Where have you seen AI lately?”
- “What do you use it for, and what do you like about it?”
- “Has it ever said something that seemed strange or wrong?”
- “Is there anything about using it that feels uncomfortable?”
Listen before setting rules. Harvard AI in Learning and Education assistant professor Ying Xu, in a UNICEF interview, recommends adults and children approach AI as co-learners: “Right now, adults and children are often learning at a similar pace, and approaching AI as co-learners, being open, curious, and willing to navigate uncertainties together, can be an effective starting point.”
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Explain what AI is—and what it is not
Keep the explanation simple: “AI can find patterns and make a response that sounds like a person. It doesn’t have feelings or know everything, so we need to think about what it tells us.” With younger children, you can connect the idea to a familiar voice assistant or device while clarifying that it responds to patterns and instructions, not human thoughts or feelings.
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Then look at an answer, image, or suggestion together. Ask what seems useful, what might be questionable, and how you could check it. This gives children practice noticing that fluent, friendly language is not proof that a response is true or wise.
Match the boundaries to age and development
Common Sense Media offers age-based guidance for chatbots. These are safety recommendations from the organization, not legal age rules; a child’s maturity, the particular tool, and the setting also matter.
| Age | Common Sense Media guidance | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| 5 and under | No AI chatbots. | If AI comes up naturally, explain it simply. Prioritize play, hands-on learning, and interaction with people. |
| 6–12 | Limited chatbot use alongside a parent or caregiver. | Explore together, and talk about mistakes, unsuitable content, bias, privacy, and whether AI is doing too much of the child’s work. |
| 13 and older | Supervised use can be appropriate for homework or creativity. | Keep regular conversations going, build digital literacy, check school rules, and preserve the teen’s own thinking and authorship. |
For anyone under 18, Common Sense Media advises against using AI for companionship, emotional support, or mental health advice. A chatbot can sound caring, but that does not make it a friend or a suitable source of support.
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Set a concrete privacy rule
Children may share more than obvious identifiers. UNICEF’s interview with Xu highlights details such as school, home routines, friendships, feelings, and health concerns. Agree on a pause-before-sharing rule: “Would you be comfortable if other people saw this?”
Tell your child not to enter your home address, school, passwords, private photos, or personal details about themselves or someone else. For a particular service, review its settings and data practices together; what it collects and retains can vary by platform. UNICEF’s child-centered AI guidance also emphasizes privacy, safety, fairness, transparency, inclusion, development, and children’s AI literacy.
Make AI support learning, not replace it
Talk about school use without assuming wrongdoing. Ask: “What does your teacher allow?” “What are you trying to learn?” and “Is AI helping you understand, or just finishing the assignment?” School policies differ, so follow the child’s teacher or school’s rules.
A useful family routine is to agree on the learning goal before opening AI, check during the task whether it is explaining or supplying the work, and ask afterward for the child to explain the result in their own words without AI. AI can help explain an idea, create practice questions, or suggest revisions; the child should still do the thinking and be able to stand behind the work.
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Agree on a few family rules
Make the agreement short enough to remember, and decide it together where possible. Cover the questions that matter for your household:
- Which tools are allowed, and when should an adult be present?
- What kinds of school use are permitted by the teacher or school?
- What information stays private, including details about other people?
- Which uses are for learning or creativity, and which are off-limits?
- When should your child stop, close the tool, or ask an adult for help?
Revisit the agreement as your child grows, school expectations change, or a tool’s settings and features change. When deciding whether a particular service is suitable, consider your child’s age and ability to distinguish generated content from a person, the task, adult oversight, data practices and privacy controls, school policy, and whether the tool encourages the child’s own thinking.
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Say plainly: “A chatbot can sound friendly, but it isn’t a real friend and can’t take care of you. If something is upsetting you, come talk to me or another trusted adult.” For emotional or mental-health concerns, help your child reach a trusted adult, school counselor, or qualified professional instead of relying on a chatbot.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Look for changes that merit a gentle conversation, not a diagnosis: long sessions or distress when asked to stop, secrecy or anxiety, relying on AI instead of trusted people, or AI displacing sleep, school, friends, or hobbies. Ask what your child likes about using it and whether anything feels unhelpful, then agree on boundaries and check-ins.
Use a family resource if you want a starting point
Common Sense Media and Day of AI offer a free AI Literacy Toolkit for Families. It includes videos for parents and caregivers, family activity guides, conversation starters, activities, and a glossary; one guide focuses on privacy, fairness, and responsibility.
Common Sense Media’s 2026 survey summary, based on 1,204 children aged 9–17, reports that 86 percent used AI, nearly a quarter used it daily, and more than four in ten had never discussed AI safety with a parent or guardian. In that survey, three-quarters said their school had discussed what AI use is and is not allowed, and just over half said they had been taught how to use AI safely. These are results for the surveyed children, not universal estimates. Read the 2026 survey summary.
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