Set a few clear rules with your child: use only tools approved by a parent, caregiver, or school; keep personal and confidential information out; follow the teacher’s directions for assignments; check important answers; and stop and tell a trusted adult if an interaction feels unsafe. The details should fit the child’s age, the tool’s terms, and the school’s policy—there is no single age that makes every AI tool safe for every child.
Start with a short agreement children can use
Write the rules together in plain language and explain what to do when something goes wrong. This starter agreement can be adapted for home or school:
- I use AI tools my parent, caregiver, or school has approved.
- I do not share my full name, address, school details, passwords, private images, health information, or another person’s private information.
- I follow my teacher’s directions about whether AI is allowed for an assignment, and I say when I used it if asked.
- I check important answers with a trusted source or adult.
- AI is not my therapist, doctor, or emergency helper. I talk to a trusted adult about serious feelings or problems.
- If a tool makes me uncomfortable, asks me to keep a secret, requests personal information, or gives unsafe advice, I stop and tell an adult.
These are practical recommendations, not rules every school or service already follows. UNICEF’s child-rights framework includes “Protect children’s data and privacy,” while UNESCO calls for age-appropriate, human-centered use of generative AI in education. Adapt the agreement to the child and setting. UNICEF guidance and UNESCO guidance provide the broader principles.
Choose uses and supervision by age and readiness
Check the service’s own age terms, your local rules, and any school policy before a child creates an account or uses a tool. Age recommendations from guidance organizations are advice, not a universal legal age threshold.
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UNESCO recommends an age limit for independent conversations with generative AI and age-appropriate validation, but that recommendation is not a global statute. Common Sense Media’s age-and-stage guidance recommends no AI chatbots for younger children and supervised use for teens for homework and creativity; it advises against AI emotional support for anyone under 18. Treat these as that organization’s recommendations, not as law or a substitute for a tool’s terms. Common Sense Media’s guidance for families
For a child who is new to a tool or not ready to use it independently, an adult can try it alongside them, talk through its limitations, and stay available for questions. Supervision should help the child learn, rather than quietly turning AI use into an unexamined shortcut.
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Tell children not to enter information that identifies or exposes them or someone else. That includes contact and school details, account credentials, private photographs, health information, and confidential family or classroom material. A chatbot’s answer may feel private, but that feeling is not a reason to share sensitive details.
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Adults choosing a service should review what information it collects, how it is retained or used, who can see it, and what controls exist to manage or delete it. UNICEF identifies children’s data and privacy as a core child-centered AI concern, and UNESCO’s education guidance also emphasizes privacy protection. The FTC states, “Kids shouldn’t have to give up their privacy rights to do their schoolwork or go to class remotely.” FTC guidance for educators
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Keep AI within the learning goal
For schoolwork, the teacher’s instructions decide whether AI may be used and for what. One assignment may allow brainstorming while another prohibits generated text or solutions. Children should ask when instructions are unclear, follow any disclosure requirement, and be able to explain their own work.
Teach children to treat an AI answer as a suggestion to check, not an authority. For important facts, compare it with a trusted source or ask an adult. This approach supports the learning goal: the child remains responsible for understanding the answer, rather than submitting fluent text they cannot explain. UNESCO’s education guidance calls for human-centered and age-appropriate pedagogical design. UNESCO guidance
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Make a plan for uncomfortable or unsafe interactions
Agree on a “pause and tell” response before a problem happens. A child should stop using the tool and tell a trusted adult if it asks for personal information, encourages secrecy, produces disturbing material, or gives advice that could affect someone’s safety. Adults should listen without blaming the child, address any immediate safety concern, and review whether the tool or its settings should remain in use.
Do not assign AI the role of therapist, doctor, or emergency support. Common Sense Media advises against AI emotional support for people under 18. A child with serious feelings or a health or safety concern should turn to a trusted adult or an appropriate professional, not rely on a chatbot.
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Make home and school rules work together
At home
Caregivers can decide whether a child may use a tool, help a younger child use it, review its age terms and privacy settings, and discuss mistakes or troubling outputs. Ask the child what tools and uses the school allows so that home practice does not conflict with classroom expectations. Common Sense Media recommends adult involvement for children interested in ChatGPT and advises families to check school rules. Common Sense Media’s family guidance
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At school
Teachers and school leaders should make clear which services are approved, what student information they collect and why, which uses are permitted, and how students should disclose AI help. In the United States, FTC best-practice guidance recommends that a school or district decide whether an education technology service is appropriate rather than leaving that decision to individual teachers. FTC COPPA FAQ
What U.S. COPPA guidance means for schools
This is a U.S.-specific legal summary, not individual legal advice. COPPA generally applies to online services directed to children under 13 or that have actual knowledge they are collecting personal information from a child under 13. Covered services generally need to give notice and obtain verifiable parental consent, subject to exceptions. In a limited educational context, a school may consent on a parent’s behalf for collection used for the school’s benefit and not for a separate commercial purpose. The FTC advises schools or districts to assess whether a service’s practices are appropriate. These points should not be generalized to other countries or treated as a complete account of student privacy law. FTC COPPA FAQ and FTC guidance for educators
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Ask these questions before approving a tool
A parent, caregiver, or school can use this checklist when deciding whether a particular tool and activity are suitable:
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- Age and readiness: Does the tool’s age policy allow the child to use it, and is the child ready for the level of independence involved?
- Privacy and control: What data are collected, how are prompts handled, who can view them, and can information be managed or deleted?
- Educational fit: Does the teacher or school approve it, and does the proposed use support the assignment’s learning goal?
- Safety response: What happens if the child encounters harmful content, is asked for personal information, or shares distress?
- Transparency: Will the child know they are interacting with AI and understand that its answers can be wrong?
Use survey findings as a prompt for conversation
Common Sense Media reported in 2026 that, among more than 1,000 U.S. children ages 9–17 it surveyed, three-quarters said their school had discussed what they can and cannot use AI for; just over half said they had been taught how to use AI safely; and nearly half said they had never discussed AI safety with their parents. These are findings from the organization’s survey, not population-wide estimates for all children. Common Sense Media research
The results are a reason for adults to start or revisit the conversation, not a substitute for asking a particular child what they have been taught or what they are encountering. Home and school can each make expectations clearer and give children a safe way to ask for help.
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