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Start by asking what your teen uses chatbots for and what they find helpful. Then talk together about what not to share, when a chatbot is not a substitute for human support, and what to do if an interaction feels uncomfortable. The goal is a plan your teen can use—not a lecture or a ban that ends the conversation.
Begin with what your teen actually does
Choose a calm moment and ask open questions before proposing rules. Teens may use chatbots for schoolwork, information, creative projects, entertainment, or personal conversation; the same person may use them for several reasons. Try asking:
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- “What do you use chatbots for?”
- “What do you like about them?”
- “Can you show me an example of something useful one helped with?”
Ask for an example rather than demanding to inspect every conversation. A curious opening makes it easier to learn whether the teen sees the tool as a study aid, a source of ideas, or someone to talk to when upset.
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Make privacy concrete and service-specific
Explain that what someone types or uploads may be stored or shared, and that practices differ by service and can change. Do not assume that a conversation is private just because it feels personal. Review the chatbot’s current privacy and safety information together, including any controls that the service actually offers.
A practical starting rule is not to enter full names, home addresses, school details, passwords, private images, or deeply sensitive information unless both of you understand how that particular service handles it. The Australian eSafety Commissioner reported in 2026 that 32% of children who had used an AI assistant or companion said they had shared personal or potentially sensitive information. That figure describes those children, not all children or all chatbot users.
Ask: “What kinds of things would you not want saved or seen by someone else?” This keeps the discussion focused on choices the teen can recognize, rather than an abstract warning that “the internet is dangerous.”
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A chatbot can sound warm, attentive, or confident without being a person. Its conversational style does not establish that it understands your teen as a friend would, can keep confidences like a qualified professional, or can reliably judge what is best in a difficult situation. Fluent answers can still be wrong.
The US Federal Trade Commission said in September 2025 that it had ordered seven consumer chatbot companies to provide information about how they measure and mitigate possible effects on children and teens, including disclosures and data handling. This was an inquiry, not a finding that those companies violated the law. The FTC has also noted that human-like characteristics and friend-or-confidant framing may encourage some young users to trust chatbots or form relationships with them.
Ask whether your teen has ever received an answer that felt wrong, too personal, or uncomfortable. Then ask: “If you’re upset, who are the people you can talk to as well as—or instead of—the chatbot?” Keep the list specific: a parent or caregiver, another trusted adult, a friend, a school counselor, or a qualified professional may each be an option in different circumstances.
Chatbots can help with brainstorming or learning, but your teen should not have to rely on one for mental-health advice or urgent personal decisions. Preserve space for real relationships and make clear that asking a person for help is not a failure.
Notice whether use is affecting daily life
Discuss effects, not labels. Ask whether chatbot use is changing sleep, schoolwork, offline relationships, or your teen’s willingness to seek help from people. If something seems different, ask what tends to happen before they turn to a chatbot—loneliness, boredom, stress, or another situation—without assuming the answer.
The eSafety Commissioner reported in 2026 that 50% of children who had used AI assistants used them for at least one personal or social reason. That does not mean every such use is harmful. It is a reason to ask what the tool is doing in your teen’s life and whether it is crowding out other ways of coping or connecting.
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Agree on boundaries and a plan for uncomfortable interactions
Set limits together and make them specific to the chatbot’s purpose, design, data practices, age suitability, safeguards, and effect on daily life. A tool used for a school task may call for different boundaries from a human-like companion used for emotional advice. There is no universal product ranking established by the available evidence; check each service’s current information rather than assuming all chatbots work alike.
Agree on what your teen can do if a chatbot says something upsetting, asks for sensitive information, or gives advice that feels unsafe:
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- Pause or leave the conversation; do not continue just to satisfy the chatbot.
- Tell a trusted adult what happened, even if your teen worries they made a mistake.
- Review the service’s reporting, privacy, or safety options together if relevant.
- For serious distress or immediate danger, prioritize help from a trusted adult or qualified professional.
Revisit the agreement as your teen’s use changes. A rule that fits a school project may not fit a new use for companionship or personal advice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the current evidence can—and cannot—tell families
Different surveys and consultations measure different things, so their percentages should not be combined into a single estimate of how many teens use chatbots or are at risk.
| Source and scope | Finding | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| eSafety Commissioner, Australia, 2026; children who had used an AI assistant or companion | 20% reported potentially inappropriate or harmful interactions; 32% reported sharing personal or potentially sensitive information. | These figures apply to that group of children, not all teens or all chatbot services. |
| Pew Research Center, United States, 2026; survey fielded September 25–October 9, 2025, among 1,458 teens ages 13–17 and their parents | 64% of teens reported using chatbots, compared with 51% of parents who said their teen used them. Just over half of parents said they had ever talked with their teen about chatbots. The overall margin of error was ±3.3 percentage points. | These are US survey results, not global estimates. |
| Pew Research Center, United States, 2026; parents of teens | 18% said they would be comfortable with chatbot emotional support or advice. | This measures parental comfort, not whether chatbot support is safe or unsafe. |
| UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, July 2026 consultation response | 80% of full consultation respondents and 68% of young respondents aged 16–21 saw particular risks in chatbots mimicking friendship. | These are consultation responses, not a representative population survey. |
The UK response quotes the Royal College of Psychiatrists: “Children and young people may engage with systems/ AI chatbots that appear authoritative, relational, anthropomorphic or emotionally responsive, which raises particular risks.” It also quotes the Centre for Information Policy Leadership: “Purpose-built AI tools designed for children, such as educational or accessibility-focused chatbots, can play a valuable role in supporting learning and inclusion.” The distinction matters: a chatbot’s purpose and design are relevant, but neither a friendly tone nor an educational label replaces checking its safeguards and fit for your teen.
Policy developments are not universal rules
In its July 2026 response, the UK government said it would require chatbots to introduce regular breaks for under-18s and provide more guidance for parents and children. It also said regulators would address harmful mental-health advice and that further action could be considered. This is a UK policy commitment with implementation evolving; it is not a rule that applies everywhere.
UNICEF’s June 2026 policy brief describes children using chatbots for learning, creativity, advice, support, and sometimes relationships, and calls for preventive safeguards involving governments, businesses, parents, educators, and communities. For families, the practical point remains to talk about the specific service and the role it is playing—not to assume every chatbot or every teen’s experience is the same.
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