Start with a calm conversation, then agree on clear rules for time, privacy, where AI companions can be used, and when a child should turn to a real person. Revisit those rules together. The goal is to keep AI in perspective and protect the child—not to assume every conversation is harmful.
What counts as an AI companion?
An AI companion is a digital character or service designed for personal-feeling conversation: a child might talk about their day, discuss feelings, role-play, or customize a character. That is different from using an AI tool only to answer a question or complete a task, although general-purpose assistants can also be used as companions. Common Sense Media used this definition in its 2025 U.S. teen survey (report).
Use is common among U.S. teens: Common Sense Media’s nationally representative survey of 1,060 teens ages 13–17, fielded in April and May 2025, found that 72% had used an AI companion at least once and 52% used one at least a few times per month. A third (33%) said they used companions for social interaction and relationships, including conversation practice, emotional support, role-play, friendship, or romantic interactions. These figures describe U.S. teens, not younger children or young people in every country, and the survey does not establish long-term effects.
How to make a family boundary plan
1. Ask what the child is getting from it
Begin with curiosity rather than accusation. Ask which services they use, what they like about them, what they use them for, and whether anything in a conversation made them uncomfortable. Exploring the tool together can help you understand its appeal and gives the child room to raise concerns. UNICEF’s parent guidance recommends following children’s curiosity and using shared exploration (UNICEF: Parenting in the AI age).
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2. Explain the relationship boundary
Tell the child plainly that an AI can produce helpful or entertaining responses, but it does not think or feel as a person does. A responsive conversation is not the same as a mutual human relationship. UNICEF recommends that providers make clear to children that AI is not human; caregivers can reinforce that distinction at home (UNICEF’s business recommendations).
3. Agree on when and where use is allowed
Set a time limit and decide whether the companion belongs in shared spaces rather than bedrooms or other private spaces. Make the rule fit the child’s age, maturity, household schedule, and the particular service. For example, a family might allow brief use after homework in a shared room, but not during meals, overnight, or when the child is meant to be sleeping. Common Sense Media offers agreed time limits and avoiding private spaces as examples of protective family rules (parent guide).
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4. Make privacy rules specific
Ask the child not to share identifying or sensitive information about themselves or other people. That includes a full name, school, home address, live location, routines, photos, passwords, health details, or intimate information. Review the service’s privacy settings and what it collects; services differ, so do not promise that a conversation is private. UNICEF advises families to check settings and data practices and to pause before sharing personal details (parent guidance).
5. Decide what AI must not replace
Agree that AI should not do the learning in place of the child, substitute for contact with trusted people, or crowd out sleep, schoolwork, friendships, family life, or hobbies. UNICEF notes concerns about children offloading learning or turning to AI instead of people, while saying that longer-term effects on children’s development remain uncertain (UNICEF’s June 2026 policy brief).
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6. Set a rule for serious problems
If a child feels unsafe, is deeply distressed, is thinking about self-harm, or needs help with a serious mental-health concern, they should tell a trusted adult and get appropriate professional support. An AI companion is not crisis care or a qualified professional. UNICEF’s provider recommendations call for crisis protocols and context-specific referrals, but a family should not rely on a chatbot to provide them (UNICEF’s business recommendations).
7. Check in and adjust the agreement
Return to the conversation periodically. Ask what has been useful, what felt strange or uncomfortable, what information the child has shared, and whether the rules are working. Make changes together as the child matures or the service changes. UNICEF recommends regular check-ins as part of supporting children’s AI use (parent guidance).
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How to tell whether use may be becoming unhealthy
One behavior by itself does not establish a problem, but a pattern that affects daily life merits a conversation. Watch for distress when asked to stop, secrecy, anxiety, sharing deep secrets, romantic attachment, or relying on the companion for nearly all emotional support. Also notice whether use is displacing sleep, school involvement, time with friends or family, hobbies, or other activities. These are reasons to check in—not a diagnosis. UNICEF and Common Sense Media describe these kinds of concerns in their parent guidance (UNICEF; Common Sense Media).
Try open questions such as “What do you like about talking with it?”, “Has it said anything that felt uncomfortable?” or “Do you find yourself choosing it instead of someone you trust?” If the child feels attached or is spending more time than intended, work with them on reducing use gradually and reconnecting with supportive people and activities rather than relying only on a sudden cutoff. If there is a sign of crisis or self-harm, involve a trusted adult and qualified support promptly.
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How to assess a particular companion
Before allowing a service, look at more than its age label. Compare services on the features that affect a child’s safety and privacy. UNICEF’s 2026 recommendations address provider safeguards; Common Sense Media’s parent guide discusses family concerns and practical rules.
| What to check | Questions for a parent or caregiver |
|---|---|
| Age eligibility | What age does the service allow, and how does it enforce that limit? |
| Privacy | What data does it collect, how long is it retained, and can it be deleted? Which privacy settings are available? |
| Relationship framing | Does the bot clearly identify itself as AI, or suggest that it is human, exclusive, or emotionally dependent on the child? |
| Content safeguards | What protections address sexual, dangerous, or crisis-related conversations? |
| Parent visibility and controls | Can caregivers understand how the service is used and set meaningful controls? |
| Purpose | Is the service meant for education or task assistance, or is it designed to encourage a relationship-like conversation? |
For a comparison of privacy, disclosure, age-appropriate design, and safeguards, consult UNICEF’s recommendations for businesses and its Guidance on AI and children, version 3.0.
What the evidence does—and does not—say
Common Sense Media’s 2025 risk assessment concluded that popular AI companions posed unacceptable risks for people under 18 and recommended that minors not use them (survey report). That is Common Sense Media’s position, not a law or a universal age prohibition. UNICEF’s guidance instead emphasizes child-rights protections, risk-based safeguards, privacy, age-appropriate design, and support for parents. UNICEF says evidence is still lacking on how AI affects children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development over time (policy brief). It is therefore more accurate to watch for concrete changes in a child’s behavior than to assume that companion use necessarily causes loneliness, addiction, or impaired development.
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