As youngsters flip to AI chatbots for solutions, recommendation, and companionship, questions emerge about their security, privateness, and emotional growth
23 Jan 2026
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4 min. learn
AI chatbots have change into a giant a part of all of our lives since they burst onto the scene greater than three years in the past. ChatGPT, for instance, says it has round 700 million weekly lively customers, lots of whom are “younger individuals.” A UK examine from July 2025 discovered that almost two-thirds (64%) of kids use such instruments. An identical share of oldsters is frightened their youngsters suppose AI chatbots are actual individuals.
Whereas this can be a slight overreaction, legit security, privateness and psychological considerations are rising resulting from frequent use of the know-how by children. As a mum or dad, you may’t assume that each one platform suppliers have efficient child-appropriate safeguards in place. Even when protections do exist, enforcement isn’t essentially constant, and the know-how itself is evolving sooner than coverage.
What are the dangers?
Our youngsters use generative AI (GenAI) in numerous methods. Some worth its assist when doing homework. Others may deal with the chatbot like a digital companion, asking it recommendation and trusting its responses as they might an in depth good friend. There are a number of apparent dangers related to this.
The primary is psychological and social. Youngsters are going by means of an unbelievable interval of emotional and cognitive growth, making them weak in varied methods. They might come to depend on AI companions on the expense of forming real friendships with classmates – exacerbating social isolation. And since chatbots are pre-programmed to please their customers, they could serve up output that amplifies any difficulties younger individuals could also be going by means of – like consuming problems, self-harm and/or suicidal ideas. There’s additionally a danger that your baby spends time with their AI that edges out not solely human friendships, but additionally time that needs to be spent on homework or with the household.
There are additionally dangers round what a GenAI chatbot might permit your baby to entry on the web. Though the principle suppliers have guardrails designed to restrict hyperlinks to inappropriate or harmful content material, they don’t seem to be all the time efficient. In some circumstances, they could override these inner security measures to share sexually express or violent content material, for instance. In case your baby is extra tech savvy, they could even have the ability to ‘jailbreak’ the system by means of particular prompts.
Hallucinations are one other concern. For company customers, this may create important reputational and legal responsibility dangers. However for youths, it might end in them believing false info introduced convincingly as truth, which leads to them taking unwise choices on medical or relationship issues.
Lastly, it’s necessary to keep in mind that chatbots are additionally a possible privateness danger. In case your baby enters delicate private and monetary info in a immediate, it is going to be saved by the supplier. If that occurs, it might theoretically be accessed by a 3rd celebration (e.g., a provider/companion), hacked by a cybercriminal, or regurgitated to a different consumer. Simply as you wouldn’t need your baby to overshare on social media, the most effective plan of action is to reduce what they share with a GenAI bot.
Some pink flags to look out for
Absolutely the AI platforms perceive and are taking steps to mitigate these dangers? Properly, sure, however solely up to a degree. Relying on the place your youngsters reside and what chatbot they’re utilizing, there could also be little in the best way of age verification or content material moderation occurring. The onus, due to this fact, is unquestionably on mother and father to get forward of any threats by means of proactive monitoring and schooling.
First up, listed below are just a few indicators that your youngsters might have an unhealthy relationship with AI:
- They withdraw from extracurricular time spent with family and friends
- They change into anxious when not in a position to entry their chatbot, and will attempt to disguise indicators of overuse
- They discuss in regards to the chatbot as if it had been an actual individual
- They repeat again to you as “truth” apparent misinformation
- They ask their AI about critical circumstances akin to psychological well being points (which you discover out about by accessing dialog historical past)
- They entry grownup/inappropriate content material served up by the AI
Time to speak
In lots of jurisdictions, AI chatbots are restricted to customers over 13-years-old. However given patchy enforcement, you could have to take issues into your personal arms. Conversations matter greater than controls alone. For the most effective outcomes, contemplate combining technical controls with schooling and recommendation, delivered in an open and non-confrontational method.
Whether or not they’re at college, at dwelling or participating in an after-school membership, your youngsters have adults telling them what to do each minute of their waking lives. So attempt to body your outreach about AI as a two-way dialog, the place they really feel snug sharing their experiences with out the concern of punishment. Clarify the hazards of overuse, hallucinations, information sharing, and over-relying on AI for assist with critical issues. Assist them to know that AI bots aren’t actual individuals able to thought – that they’re machines designed to be partaking. Train your youngsters to suppose critically, all the time truth test AI output, and by no means substitute a chat with their mother and father for a session with a machine.
If essential, mix that schooling piece with a coverage for limiting AI use (simply as you may restrict use of social media, or display screen time typically) and limiting use to age-appropriate platforms. Swap on parental controls within the apps they use that will help you monitor utilization and decrease danger. Remind your youngsters by no means to share personally identifiable info (PII) with AI and tweak their privateness settings to cut back the danger of unintentional leaks.
Our youngsters want people on the heart of their emotional world. AI generally is a useful gizmo for a lot of issues. However till your youngsters develop a wholesome relationship with it, their utilization needs to be fastidiously monitored. And it ought to by no means change human contact.
