Short answer from Ben, the Family IT Guy
For now, I wouldn't introduce AI to a child who isn't already exposed to it. If my child is already using an AI chatbot, I'd bring that use into the open and use it with them. I wouldn't let children use AI alone, including older teens.
I'd learn how to use it myself so I can help my child question its answers and keep doing their own thinking.
What is an AI chatbot?
An AI chatbot is software you can have a conversation with. You type a question or request, and it generates a reply. Some also let you speak to them. ChatGPT is one example.
It can explain a topic, suggest ideas for a story or help you consider different ways to approach a problem. It generates responses from patterns it has learned. Those responses can be useful, and they can also be wrong.
Why I wouldn't let a child use AI alone
A chatbot can sound confident even when its answer is wrong. It can also sound caring or agree with what someone says. I wouldn't want my child to mistake that tone for proof that the answer is right or that the software understands them as a person would.
I'd explain that it's a computer program, even when it talks like a person. I wouldn't treat it as someone my child can depend on for private advice without an adult involved.
When I asked ChatGPT what it knew about me, it described my personality: skeptical of vague answers and someone who prefers directness. I hadn't directly told it those things. It had drawn conclusions from our conversations. I'd want to consider what it could infer from a child's questions about their relationships, worries or feelings.
Some chatbots also save conversations or remember details from them. Before sharing personal information, I'd find out what's saved, how it's used and who can access it. I wouldn't assume a conversation is private because it feels like talking to one person.
Learn it yourself first
I'd try using AI for a question or task of my own. I'd ask it to explain its assumptions, offer another perspective and ask me questions before giving advice. Then I'd check whether its answer is accurate and useful.
That helps me learn where it assists my thinking and where it needs to be questioned. Learning to use it can benefit me as an adult and help me recognize what my child is encountering.
If your child has already used AI
I'd start by asking what they used it for and what it told them. A child might be trying to write a story, understand schoolwork or work through something that matters to them. I'd want to understand that purpose and look at the conversation together.
I wouldn't want my response to make them afraid to tell me about the next question they have. I'd explain why I want an adult involved and help them understand what the tool does well and where it can go wrong.
What using AI together means
I'd have an adult there throughout the conversation, able to see what the child asks and what the chatbot answers. That gives us a chance to question a reply or discuss a concern as it happens.
I wouldn't use a child's ability to answer questions about AI as a reason to move to private, unsupervised use. My recommendation to use it together includes older teens.
What I'd teach during an AI conversation
- Check important claims. If a reply gives us a fact we'll rely on, I'd look for evidence outside the chatbot. I wouldn't rely on its own reassurance that it's right.
- Keep doing the thinking. We might ask for a different explanation, questions about an idea or another perspective, then discuss what makes sense and why. I'd want my child to be able to explain their own reasoning.
- Think before sharing personal information. I'd talk about what we're about to type and whether it identifies someone or shares something private about our family.
- Notice how the conversation affects them. I'd ask whether it helped them understand more, or whether they feel they need the chatbot to decide for them.
Those are skills to practice with an adult. A good AI conversation should make your child more capable, not more dependent.