According to the ACT, over half of high school students are using generative artificial intelligence, and that percentage rises of over 80% among college students. With the increasing presence of in our children’s lives and the likelihood they will use it, parents need to ask themselves some important questions.
When should children start using AI? How much access should they have? What guidance do they need? Is using AI ethical? How will AI be used in the future? Answers to these questions vary based on your child’s development stage.
Elementary School (Ages 5-10)
In elementary school, children are developing basic technology skills and learning to distinguish reality from fantasy. Their primary interaction with AI might be through devices like Alexa or Siri, or educational apps that use AI to adapt to their learning pace. Children at this age should be supervised in all AI interactions. Ask your child to explore AI platforms with you, or to show you what they are using. Making AI use collaborative will help you guide your child’s use.
Other suggestions for children in this age group include:
· Focus on educational applications
· Explain that AI is a tool created by humans and it is not all-knowing
· Help children understand AI can make mistakes
· Emphasize the difference between AI and human interaction
Since AI is created to interact in a human manner, children may forget the program is a computer. Explain the AI does not have feelings or thoughts. Explain how a math program learns from their answers to provide appropriate problems, for example. This helps them understand both the benefits and limitations of AI tools.
Middle School (Ages 11-13)
Middle schoolers are interacting with technology more and more and so will begin encountering AI more frequently. Monitoring the use of AI remains important. Middle schoolers will want more freedom with their technology use, but education should remain the main purpose for use of AI. In this stage, children are developing critical thinking skills and need guidance on responsible technology use.
Now may be the time to begin discussion about AI’s fallibility. Explain that AI makes mistakes and responses should be double checked. Also explain that AI can be biased. Discuss responses children receive from AI programs to demonsrate the critical thinking skills they need to use AI effectively.
Other suggestions for children in this age group include:
· Discuss appropriate uses for schoolwork
· Start conversations about AI ethics
· Help them identify AI-generated content
· Teach them to verify information from multiple sources
Many middle schoolers might discover ChatGPT or similar tools through friends. Rather than prohibiting use, help them understand appropriate applications. For instance, show them how AI can help brainstorm ideas for a writing assignment but should not write the entire paper. Now is also a good time to introduce prompt generation; explore the different responses AI provides based on the prompts entered.
High School (Ages 14-18)
By high school, students are probably using AI more than they realize. The popular social media platform SnapChat has an AI program built in, and Google recently added an AI response to general searches. High school students need to develop sophisticated understandings of AI as they prepare for higher education and future careers. They should learn to use AI as a tool while maintaining their own critical thinking and creativity.
High school is when parents and schools may establish rules for AI use. Help your teen understand when AI use is appropriate. Brainstorming and idea generation, for example, may be acceptable uses of AI. Summarizing a complicated concept or proofreading an essay are other ways to use AI effectively. Defining appropriate AI use is essential.
Other suggestions for students in this age group include:
· Be critical of AI-generated content
· Understand the ethical issues of AI use
· Consider the privacy issues involved in AI
· Recognize AI’s limitations
· Understand responsible use of AI
· Understand AI is not a person
While users “talk” to AI and AI responds like a person, teens need to remember AI is not a person. It does not have real experiences, genuine emotions, or authentic relationships that shape its responses. While AI might sound friendly and understanding, it is responding based on patterns in its training data, not from lived experience or real empathy. Teens need to know AI does not have real feelings, personal experiences, or genuine relationships that inform its responses. Nothing will replace the relationships, experiences, feelings, and interactions of real people.
Healthy & Unhealthy use of AI
While AI use will vary from age to age, in general you can watch for the appropriate and inappropriate use of AI.
Healthy Signs:
· Asks questions about AI capabilities
· Shows work process
· Uses AI as one of many tools
· Maintains creative interests
· Balances tech and human interaction
Warning Signs:
· Relies exclusively on AI
· Reluctance to show work process
· Sudden changes in academic performance
· Hides AI use
· Shows decreased creativity
· Avoids independent work
· Anxious without AI access
Noticing inappropriate use of AI will allow you to step in before any problems occur.
As your child grows, adjust your guidance to match their maturity level and understanding. By providing age-appropriate guidance, we can help our children navigate the AI landscape responsibly and effectively. The key is maintaining open communication and adjusting boundaries as both the technology and your child mature.
Remember that AI technology is evolving rapidly, so maintain ongoing conversations about appropriate use. The goal is to help children develop a healthy relationship with AI while maintaining their own critical thinking and creative abilities.
Age-Appropriate Family Guidelines
Elementary:
· Always use AI with parent supervision
· Focus on educational games and apps
· Limit time with AI-powered devices
· Encourage human interaction and creativity
Middle School:
· Create family rules about AI use
· Require permission before using new AI tools
· Discuss school policies about AI
· Monitor homework completion methods
High School:
· Establish clear guidelines for academic use
· Discuss professional applications of AI
· Encourage ethical decision-making
· Help balance AI use with independent thinking