AI and children: a guide for parents

Your child has heard about AI from friends and wants to try it

Try one harmless activity with your child, practise checking answers and agree on what information you will never tell an AI. A parent's most important role is to stay curious and involved, rather than know everything about AI: ask what your child did, what the answer means and where you could check it.

How to explain AI to a child

You could say: "AI is a program that can put together answers and stories. It is not a real person and does not always know what is true. That is why we check important things together and do not give it private information." Adapt the words to your child's age and experience.

Try your first activity together

1. 1

   Choose a harmless topic

   Choose a fictional topic together, such as an animal story or an imaginary outing.

2. 2

   Write the request together

   Describe the kind of answer you want. This teaches your child that AI follows instructions rather than being an authority.

3. 3

   Ask what might be wrong

   Choose one claim or detail from the answer and check it in a book, on a reliable website or with an adult.

4. 4

   Agree on the next rule

   For example, agree not to ask AI for secrets and not to submit its text as your own schoolwork.

Two activities to try together

First: a story to develop

Invent a short story about a brave fox who learns to ask for help. The story should suit a primary-school-aged child, contain no frightening scenes and end with one question we can discuss together.

Read the question at the end of the story again. If it is too abstract or difficult for a primary-school-aged child to answer, rewrite it as one concrete question the child can answer from their own everyday life. Keep the rest of the story unchanged.

Then: an explanation to check together

Explain why bread dough rises in a way that suits a primary-school-aged child. Use one familiar everyday comparison. At the end, say which part of the explanation would be worth checking in a book or with an adult.

Make the request more precise

Invent a short story about a brave fox who learns to ask for help. The story should suit a primary-school-aged child, contain no frightening scenes and end with one question we can discuss together.

Your family's safety boundary

• Do not enter your child's name, address, school, phone number, photos, health information, login details or information about other children into the service.
• Before any use involving a child, including a supervised activity on an adult account, check the service’s current age rules, terms, privacy settings and any parental consent requirements for that activity. Adult presence alone does not establish permission; do not rely on an old list or another family’s experience.
• Discuss how AI can sound friendly but is not a friend, doctor, teacher or emergency service.
• If the content is frightening, confusing or feels wrong, the child should stop using it and tell an adult.

Once you know the basics

You can make your own family AI agreement: which services you use AI in, when an adult is involved, what information you do not share and how you check important information. Revisit the rules when your child's use changes or a new service becomes part of everyday life.