Quick Answer: Parents can reduce AI risks by knowing which AI tools their children use, checking age requirements and privacy settings, keeping personal information out of prompts, setting clear boundaries for AI companions, teaching children to verify AI-generated answers, discussing deepfakes and voice-cloning scams, using available parental controls, and keeping human support available for serious emotional or safety issues.
The goal is not to ban every AI tool. It is to help children use AI with appropriate supervision, privacy protection, critical thinking, and clear boundaries based on their age and the type of AI system involved.
Last updated: September 1, 2026
Why AI and Child Safety Matters More in 2026
AI is no longer just a homework tool.
Children and teenagers can encounter generative AI through:
- search engines
- school platforms
- social media
- messaging apps
- games
- image generators
- video generators
- AI assistants
- AI companions
- photo-editing tools
- voice-generation tools
That creates genuine opportunities for learning and creativity—but it also introduces risks that traditional parental controls were not designed to handle.
Those risks include:
- inaccurate information
- inappropriate generated content
- personal-data exposure
- emotional dependency on AI companions
- scams using cloned voices
- AI-generated explicit images
- bullying using synthetic media
- manipulation or persuasive interactions
- overreliance on AI for schoolwork
- displacement of sleep, exercise, relationships, or offline activities
UNICEF's updated guidance on AI and children specifically highlights safety, privacy, transparency, child well-being, non-discrimination, AI companions, and protection from harmful AI-generated material as central child-rights concerns.
How Common Is AI Use Among Children and Teens?
AI use among children is no longer unusual.
Common Sense Media's 2025 nationally representative survey of 1,060 U.S. teens ages 13–17 found that 72% had used AI companions at least once, and more than half were using them at least a few times each month.
The study also found that roughly:
- one-third had used AI companions for social interaction or relationships;
- one-third had chosen an AI companion instead of a person for an important or serious conversation;
- one-quarter had shared personal information with AI companions.
In June 2026, Common Sense Media published broader research involving more than 1,000 children ages 9–17 and reported that nearly half had never had a conversation with their parents about AI safety.
That gap matters.
Children do not need parents to understand every AI model. They need adults who can help them recognize when an AI interaction becomes inaccurate, inappropriate, overly personal, manipulative, or unsafe.
The Main AI Risks Parents Should Understand
1. Personal Data and Privacy
Children may tell AI systems far more than they would enter into a traditional search engine.
That can include:
- full names
- birthdays
- school names
- addresses
- photos
- health questions
- family problems
- passwords
- private messages
- information about friends
Parents should teach a simple rule:
Do not give an AI system information you would not want stored, reviewed, exposed, or associated with your identity.
For younger children, parents should review the privacy policy and account requirements before allowing use.
In the United States, COPPA places specific requirements on certain online services that collect personal information from children under 13. However, COPPA compliance should not be interpreted as a guarantee that an AI product is appropriate or risk-free for a particular child.
2. AI Can Produce Confident but Incorrect Answers
Generative AI can produce fluent answers that are inaccurate, incomplete, or fabricated.
Children may be particularly vulnerable to this because a chatbot's conversational tone can make its answers sound authoritative.
Teach children to ask:
Where did this information come from?
Can I verify it somewhere else?
Is this fact, opinion, or generated speculation?
For schoolwork, AI should ideally function as a thinking and research assistant—not as an unquestioned answer machine.
A useful family rule is:
Important factual claims require a second source.
For academic work, that could mean:
- a textbook
- school material
- a teacher
- an official organization
- a credible primary source
3. AI Companions Require Stronger Boundaries
An AI assistant that answers questions is different from an AI companion designed to simulate friendship, emotional support, romance, or an ongoing personal relationship.
That distinction matters.
Common Sense Media's research found that some teenagers turn to AI companions for serious emotional conversations and that a meaningful minority perceive those interactions as comparable to conversations with real friends.
Common Sense Media currently recommends that social AI companion products not be used by people under 18. That is the organization's safety recommendation—not a universal legal rule—but parents should treat emotionally persuasive AI differently from an ordinary homework assistant.
Parents should know whether a child is using an AI system as:
- a search assistant
- homework support
- entertainment
- role-play
- a friend
- a confidant
- emotional support
- romantic interaction
The last four categories warrant much closer attention.
A practical family rule
AI can help a child think through a question, but it should not become the only place they turn for serious emotional, relationship, health, or safety concerns.
A trusted person should remain part of that support system.
4. Harmful or Age-Inappropriate Generated Content
Generative systems can produce or surface material that is:
- violent
- sexual
- manipulative
- discriminatory
- misleading
- frightening
- otherwise unsuitable for children
Safety filters reduce risk but do not eliminate it.
This means parents should not rely on a label such as “AI-powered,” “educational,” or even “family-friendly” without checking:
- minimum age
- moderation systems
- privacy practices
- reporting tools
- parental settings
- whether public sharing is enabled
- whether strangers can communicate with the child
You can browse CompareBestAI's Security & IT tools when evaluating security software, but parental-control software should support—not replace—family supervision and safety conversations.
5. Deepfakes and AI-Generated Explicit Images
Synthetic image and video tools create a new category of child-safety risk.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says generative AI has been misused to create sexually exploitative material involving children, including altered images of real children and “nudify” content involving classmates.
NCMEC says more than 275 direct victims of generative-AI child sexual abuse material were identified during 2024 and 2025 alone.
Parents should make one point extremely clear:
Creating a fake explicit image of another child is not a harmless joke.
Children should never:
- upload another person's photo to a nudify tool;
- create sexualized fake images of classmates;
- forward synthetic intimate images;
- use generated material to threaten or embarrass someone.
If a child becomes the subject of such content, preserve relevant evidence, avoid redistributing the image, report it to the platform, and seek appropriate law-enforcement or child-safety assistance.
6. AI Voice Cloning and Family Scams
AI can also imitate voices.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers may obtain a short audio sample from publicly available content and use voice cloning to impersonate a family member during an emergency scam.
A useful family defense is to create a verification routine.
If someone calls claiming to be a family member in an emergency:
- Do not trust the voice alone.
- End the call if possible.
- Call the family member back using a known number.
- Contact another trusted relative.
- Never send money solely because a caller creates urgency.
- Consider a private family verification phrase for unusual situations.
The FTC specifically recommends independently contacting the person or another family member rather than relying on the voice on the call.
7. AI Can Crowd Out Important Offline Activities
The current version of this article calls the problem “screen addiction.”
That framing is too broad.
A more useful question is whether digital or AI use is crowding out:
- sleep
- exercise
- school responsibilities
- offline hobbies
- family time
- face-to-face friendships
The American Academy of Pediatrics' Family Media Plan uses a similar “crowding out” concept when helping families think about digital media use.
Parents should therefore focus less on one universal number of minutes and more on whether AI use is interfering with healthy development and daily responsibilities.
10 Practical AI Safety Steps for Parents
1. Find Out Which AI Tools Your Child Actually Uses
Do not start the conversation with:
“Are you using ChatGPT?”
That is too narrow.
Ask:
“Which apps or websites you use have AI in them?”
Children may encounter AI inside products they do not think of as “AI tools.”
Ask about:
- chatbots
- games
- homework apps
- social platforms
- image generators
- video editors
- search
- role-play apps
- companion bots
The first safety step is visibility.
2. Check the Platform's Age Requirements
Do not assume every AI tool is designed for every age.
Before approving a product, check:
- minimum age
- parental-consent requirements
- teen-specific experiences
- moderation policy
- whether conversations can involve adult themes
- public sharing
- account privacy controls
Age restrictions and product safety features change frequently, so verify the provider's current documentation rather than relying on an old review.
3. Create a “Never Put This Into AI” Rule
Children need a concrete privacy rule.
Tell them not to enter:
- passwords
- authentication codes
- home addresses
- school schedules
- financial information
- confidential family details
- private photos
- intimate images
- other people's sensitive information
Also explain why.
The issue is not that every AI company will misuse the information. The issue is that a child usually cannot evaluate how every service stores, processes, moderates, or reuses data.
4. Teach Children That AI Is Not a Person
Conversational systems can feel surprisingly human.
Children should understand:
AI can simulate empathy without having human feelings, judgment, responsibility, or a real relationship with them.
UNICEF's child-centered AI guidance specifically emphasizes that systems should be transparent about the fact that users are interacting with AI rather than a human and warns against inappropriate anthropomorphizing.
This distinction becomes especially important with companion-style systems.
5. Use Parental Controls Where They Exist
Parental controls can help, but they vary widely by platform.
For example, ChatGPT currently allows linked parent/teen accounts with selected settings, quiet hours, and limited safety notifications. Its parental controls do not give parents access to read a teen's conversations.
Other platforms may provide completely different controls.
Review each product individually.
If your family also wants broader device-level web and security controls, CompareBestAI's Trend Micro Maximum Security review and McAfee Total Protection review cover security suites that include family or parental-control functionality.
Those tools should be considered an additional technical layer—not a substitute for supervision.
6. Co-Use AI With Younger Children
Instead of handing a younger child an AI chatbot and walking away, use it together.
Try asking:
- Why do you think it answered that?
- Does that sound correct?
- How could we check?
- What information should we avoid sharing?
- What would make this source trustworthy?
- Could this image or video be fake?
Co-use turns AI safety into an everyday skill instead of a one-time warning.
7. Establish Rules for AI Companions
If your teenager encounters companion-style AI, discuss the difference between entertainment and emotional dependency.
Possible family rules include:
- do not share intimate information;
- do not treat an AI companion as a therapist;
- do not follow dangerous instructions;
- tell a trusted adult if a chatbot becomes sexual, threatening, coercive, or disturbing;
- keep real-world relationships available for serious problems.
A child should never feel that a bot's request must be kept secret from a trusted adult.
8. Teach a Deepfake Response Plan
Children should know what to do before they encounter a fake image, video, or audio clip.
Teach them:
Stop → don't forward → save necessary evidence → tell a trusted adult → report it.
That is especially important for synthetic sexual content.
Forwarding harmful material can amplify the victim's harm even when the person forwarding it did not create it.
9. Create a Family Voice-Scam Verification Rule
Pick a method family members can use to verify unusual calls or messages.
For example:
- call back on a known number;
- ask a question only the real person should know;
- contact a second relative;
- use a family verification phrase.
Do not rely solely on recognizing someone's voice.
10. Keep the Conversation Judgment-Free
Children are more likely to tell a parent about an uncomfortable AI interaction when they do not expect automatic punishment.
Try:
“If an AI tool ever shows or says something strange, you can tell me. You're not going to get in trouble just for showing me.”
The objective is to make the parent part of the child's safety system.
A Simple AI Safety Checklist for Families
Before approving an AI tool, check:
- What is the minimum age?
- Is the child using an assistant or an AI companion?
- What information does the tool collect?
- Are conversations stored?
- Can content become public?
- Can strangers interact with the child?
- Does the product have parental controls?
- Can unsafe content be reported?
- Is there an easy way to delete account data?
- Has the child been told what information not to share?
- Does the child know AI can be wrong?
- Does the child know what to do after seeing a deepfake?
- Does the child know how to respond to a cloned-voice scam?
- Is AI use crowding out sleep, schoolwork, relationships, or offline activity?
If a family is evaluating broader privacy and cybersecurity products, CompareBestAI's Security & IT category provides a more relevant starting point than choosing a product simply because it advertises “AI-powered safety.”
What Parents Should Look for in a Child-Safer AI Platform
No label can guarantee that an AI product is completely safe.
Instead, look for concrete safeguards.
Clear Age Requirements
The platform should explain who may use the service and whether parental consent is required.
Privacy Controls
Look for understandable information about:
- data collection
- conversation storage
- deletion
- training use
- account privacy
Strong Moderation
The service should have clear policies and controls for harmful content.
Reporting and Blocking
Children and parents should have a practical way to report problematic behavior or content.
Transparency
The child should clearly understand that they are interacting with AI.
Parental or Teen Safety Settings
Useful controls may include:
- quiet hours
- content restrictions
- account linking
- safety notifications
- privacy limitations
But features vary significantly between services.
When comparing multiple tools, you can also compare AI tools side by side instead of relying only on marketing claims.
AI Safety Should Change With the Child's Age
A seven-year-old and a seventeen-year-old should not have identical rules.
Younger Children
Prioritize:
- supervised use
- co-use
- minimal personal data
- educational use
- tightly controlled platforms
Preteens
Begin teaching:
- source verification
- privacy
- generated-media literacy
- scam recognition
- responsible school use
Teenagers
Add explicit discussions about:
- AI companions
- emotional dependency
- deepfakes
- sexualized synthetic content
- academic integrity
- voice cloning
- misinformation
- privacy consequences
Greater independence should be paired with stronger AI literacy.
Frequently Asked Questions About AI and Child Safety
Is AI safe for children?
AI is not one single product, so there is no universal yes-or-no answer. Safety depends on the child's age, the type of AI system, its data practices, moderation, social features, and how the child uses it. Parents should evaluate individual tools and provide age-appropriate supervision.
What are the biggest AI risks for children?
Important risks include privacy loss, inaccurate information, inappropriate content, AI-companion dependency, scams, deepfakes, synthetic sexual imagery, cyberbullying, and excessive reliance on AI.
Should children use AI companions?
Common Sense Media currently recommends that people under 18 avoid social AI companion products because of the risks identified in its safety assessments. Parents should distinguish companion-style systems from ordinary task-oriented AI assistants.
Can children safely use ChatGPT?
Safety depends on age, account setup, type of use, and supervision. ChatGPT currently provides a linked parental-control system for teen accounts, but those controls do not allow parents to read the teen's conversations. Parents should review OpenAI's current age requirements and safety documentation before use.
What personal information should children avoid sharing with AI?
Children should avoid sharing passwords, security codes, exact addresses, private photos, financial information, confidential family details, school schedules, intimate information, and sensitive information about other people.
How can parents protect children from AI deepfakes?
Teach children not to create or forward fake intimate images, limit unnecessary public sharing of personal media, explain how synthetic content works, and create a reporting plan for harmful or exploitative material.
What should a parent do about an AI voice-cloning scam?
Do not trust the voice alone. End the interaction if possible and independently contact the family member using a known phone number or another trusted relative.
Are parental controls enough?
No. Technical controls can reduce exposure, but they cannot replace AI literacy, communication, supervision, verification skills, and a child's willingness to approach a trusted adult.
How should parents talk to children about AI safety?
Use regular, non-judgmental conversations rather than one major warning. Ask what tools they use, what they like about them, whether anything has felt uncomfortable, and how they decide whether an AI answer is trustworthy.
Should parents ban AI completely?
For most families, a complete ban is neither necessary nor the only safety strategy. The better approach is usually age-appropriate access, supervision, privacy rules, critical-thinking skills, and stricter boundaries around higher-risk uses such as AI companions and synthetic intimate content.
Final Takeaway
AI safety for children is not primarily about becoming an AI expert.
Parents need a manageable set of habits:
know the tools + protect personal information + verify AI answers + supervise age-appropriate use + set stronger boundaries around AI companions + prepare for deepfakes and voice scams + keep human communication open.
The technology will continue to change.
Those principles remain useful even when individual products, models, and safety settings change.
The most important family rule may be the simplest:
If an AI interaction feels secretive, frightening, sexual, manipulative, confusing, or too personal, stop and involve a trusted human.
