AI safety rules every kid should know

Children do not need a long lecture about AI risks. They need a short list they can remember. Here are seven rules, written in kid-friendly words, that you can talk through and put on the fridge.

The seven rules

1. Keep private things private. Never type your full name, address, school, phone number or photos into an AI tool.
2. A chatbot is not a friend. It can sound kind, but it is a computer program. Talk to a real person about real feelings.
3. AI can be wrong. It sounds sure even when it is not. Check important things.
4. If it looks shocking, check before you share. Pictures and videos can be made by AI.
5. Ask before you use. Ask a grown-up before trying a new AI app or website.
6. Tell a grown-up if something feels wrong. You will never be in trouble for telling.
7. You are the author. AI can help with ideas, but your work and your choices are yours.

How to teach the rules

Rules stick when children understand why. Use short examples:

• "If you tell a chatbot your school name, we don't know who sees it."
• "A picture of a famous person doing something odd might be made by AI."

Then ask your child to explain a rule back in their own words.

Set up the basics

• Use a parent account where possible and look at the history together.
• Turn on safe search and content filters.
• Keep devices in shared rooms for younger children.
• Agree on a regular time to talk about what they have been doing.

Our parental controls guide covers the settings on iPhone, and Is ChatGPT safe for kids? covers the most common chatbot.

What to do if something goes wrong

Stay calm. Thank your child for telling you. Take a screenshot, report the content on the platform and block the account if needed. Remind them the problem is not their fault.

A family agreement

Writing the rules down and signing them together makes them real. The free five-day mini course includes a family chatbot agreement for this.