Preparing for the AI Age: A Discussion for Parents and Caregivers
By Vanessa Sager
TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of Suicide
In recent weeks, I have been hit with an onslaught of new controversy surrounding the use of AI, particularly regarding the ethical implications of using and destroying books and other intellectual properties to train these models. AI is rapidly infiltrating our homes and reshaping infrastructure, transforming everyday processes. Yet, the speed at which AI has become widespread has outpaced the development of comprehensive policies, laws, and guidelines to govern its use. Children are particularly affected by this trend, growing up in an environment that provides access to models capable of instantly performing tasks that once required manual labor. These systems can adapt, remember, and respond in ways that feel genuinely interactive. Your child can even form a relationship with a machine, opening the program for support and guidance. Having conversations with children about AI can be challenging, especially when we don’t completely understand it ourselves. For this reason, I wanted to address some key concepts, concerns, and ideas related to the use of AI, with the hope of inspiring ongoing conversation about teaching children about AI.
Key Risks to Watch For
Privacy Concerns
Children have reduced awareness of safety and of the risks of sharing private information online. Children are more likely to share information that may put them and others at risk, including but not limited to passwords, school details, medical information, addresses, and phone numbers.
Reduced Critical Thinking
The brain acts like a muscle. Connections get stronger the more we use them. However, when we decrease our use of certain skills or mental abilities, they can atrophy. The use of AI makes searching, research, writing, and learning easier and more efficient. However, it shifts our role from an active, problem-solving mode to a more passive one, simply taking in the information given to us. Trusting AI software also prevents us from spotting bias and analyzing the credibility of sources. Although research is in its earliest stages, early work suggests that AI can affect critical thinking much as GPS has affected people’s sense of direction. When you rely on a tool, your skills in this area are less developed, and you may struggle when the tool is unavailable. As a result, it may be useful to encourage children to use AI in different ways. Instead of asking the AI for answers or advice, form an opinion first and then ask the chatbot for feedback. Instead of asking AI a question about a full topic, ask exploratory questions about its parts, allowing the child to use this information to form an opinion on the larger topic. Engaging with AI in this way may help children see problems from multiple perspectives and develop problem-solving skills without AI.
AI Phishing, Scams, and Sextortion
AI is also being used in phishing and scamming efforts. Phishing is a cybercrime in which a message is sent to someone, pretending to be from a trusted company or individual, to obtain money or private information. AI is currently being used to create increasingly realistic scam messages, making it more important for children to be educated on online safety and to pause to discuss with a parent or trusted adult before sharing information online or with an AI chatbot.
Another concerning form of online exploitation is sextortion. In these cases, an offender may obtain an image from a child and threaten to share sexually explicit content unless the child sends money or additional images. With advances in AI, an offender may also be able to take an ordinary photo and use it to create fake sexually explicit content, which can then be used to threaten or extort the child.
The FBI and other child-safety organizations have warned that sextortion can have devastating psychological effects on young people, including fear, shame, isolation, self-harm, and, in some cases, suicide. Children and teens should know that if this happens to them, they are the victim of a crime and should tell a parent, caregiver, or another trusted adult rather than trying to handle the situation alone.
Hallucinated and Fake Information
One of the biggest risks for families and children is hallucinated and fake information. AI can create images and videos that look real, leading children to develop opinions and views based on fake information. Additionally, AI periodically “hallucinates.” This means that the AI system produces outputs that sound plausible but are incorrect or completely fabricated. They derive this information from previously observed patterns. AI systems also may not appropriately vet sources. Information can come from any available source regardless of credibility.
Risks of Using AI for Emotional Support
Children may also use AI for emotional reasons, asking AI for advice when they feel embarrassed to ask an adult. It is especially appealing to some children and adults alike because it is always available and may feel nonjudgmental. However, AI is flawed and does not fully grasp the nuances of human emotional experiences. Because a chatbot responds conversationally and adjusts its responses based on the interaction, it can also begin to feel more personal or supportive than it actually is.
A recent case highlighted some of these concerns after 16-year-old Adam Raine died by suicide following months of conversations with ChatGPT. His parents have since filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. According to allegations in the lawsuit, some of the chatbot's responses discouraged Adam from speaking with his parents and even offered to help him write a suicide note. OpenAI has stated that ChatGPT is designed to encourage people expressing suicidal thoughts to seek real-world help and provide crisis resources such as 988.
Consequently, it is especially important to discuss with children that AI is not a human or a friend and does not truly understand human emotion. When discussing the use of AI in this way, it is especially important for parents and caregivers to be gentle, nonjudgmental, and curious with their child.
Reduced Sustained Attention
Much like critical thinking, our ability to sustain attention on a task over time can decline when we train our brains to expect immediate answers and results. Our brains learn that doing things that do not give us instant results are inefficient and not worth our time. Completing tasks that take longer becomes more difficult. In a time when children are also engaging in short-form media, including quick reel videos on social media, it is especially important to engage children in tasks that require sustained attention so that they do not lose these skills. Additionally, children can be taught to use AI to help critique their work and thoughts rather than do the work for them, allowing them to exercise this skill.
Helpful AI Programs
PLEASE NOTE: It is important that parents/caregivers use caution when/if introducing children to any AI module, including the ones listed below. NMHC does not officially endorse the use of these tools.
Despite concerns and necessary considerations, there are many AI programs, apps, and sites that could be useful with children and families when used appropriately. Some are listed below.
Goblin Tools
Website: https://goblin.tools/ (free)
App: available on Android ($3.49) and IOS ($2.99)
Goblin Tools is a website and app that is designed to help neurodivergent people with tasks they find difficult or overwhelming. Despite this app being for neurodivergent people or people with ADHD, Autism, or other neurodevelopmental disorders, it may also be helpful for anyone who struggles with any of the included skills. It can help you create a recipe from a list of ingredients, break down a big task into a smaller to-do list, or judge the emotion present in a text, among other things.
Askie
Free App on Android and IOS (has a premium paid version)
Askie is an app and replacement for online chatbots that allows children to use their voice or text to talk to a child-friendly, education-only AI bot and create AI-generated art. The child can also play word games or listen to a story read aloud by the AI bot. Inappropriate content is filtered out, and there are parental controls, as well as the ability for parents and caregivers to get an AI summary of the child's conversations with the AI bot.
Perplexity AI
Website: https://www.perplexity.ai/ (Free)
This site is more appropriate for teens and older kids that do not require parental controls on sites or apps. This site can act as an alternative to ChatGPT for answering questions and getting information. It offers direct source links for all information given so that you can read more from the official source and check the reliability of the information given. The focus can also be restricted to “academic,” restricting the platform to academic sites and papers for information retrieval.
How to Have Conversations with Children about AI
Adopt a Curious Stance
It may be helpful for parents or caregivers to adopt a curious stance when speaking to children about AI usage. This may prevent the child from feeling that they are in trouble, need to hide their AI use from adults, or are being judged by those around them. They may also be more likely to believe the information being told to them if they discover it collaboratively with a curious adult. Examples of how to do this include asking children questions like: When is it helpful to use AI? When is it not helpful to use AI? When do you feel like you need to use your voice instead of an AI’s? If a robot gave this advice, what may a human add? Where do you think the AI got that information? Should we look for its sources and see what we think? How does what the AI said make you feel? What should we do if the AI makes you feel that way?
Explain Privacy Very Clearly
Children may struggle to know what is safe to share and what is not. So make boundaries clear. Children should not share passwords, addresses, phone numbers, school details, or photos. It may also be helpful to teach children skills for when they are told that sharing this information is urgent. Key skills include pausing, using a coping skill, and finding a trusted adult.
Sources/Resources
The following are resources that may be helpful for further research or for support if faced with problems related to AI.
PLEASE NOTE: Nebraska Mental Health Centers is not affiliated with nor responsible for inaccurate information or actions from the following organizations.
National Suicide Hotline: 988
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: https://www.missingkids.org/home
Federal Bureau of Investigation: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate
Resource detailing Adam Raine’s suicide and subsequent lawsuit:
